The Counterparts Series
by Medie
Summary: Jim and Blair befriend a female Sentinel/Guide team and hijinks ensue
1. Wild Blue Eyes

TITLE: Wild Blue Eyes  
AUTHOR: M. Edison   
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)  
CATEGORY: AU  
RATING: PG-13  
SPOILERS: No  
SUMMARY: Jim's lover has been shot. Can he keep it together long enough to catch the gang involved?  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of the Sentinel belong to me but Jo and Annie Do  
WARNING: there are original characters in this story. They do share a homeland with me but that is where the similiarity ends.  
Annie is named after a cousin and Jo...well Jo's just Jo. *snicker*  
Enjoy!  
  
Wild Blue Eyes  
By M. Edison  
------------  
  
A paper wrapped round a lamppost   
At Bleecker and MacDougal where Kerouac stood   
The wind pushed us into a doorway   
And it felt good, it felt good   
  
Time didn't pass it scattered   
I put one more on the tab   
We flagged a ride at closing time   
And the laughs turned to kisses in the back of the cab   
And it felt good   
  
St. Annie you blessed my bed   
Your sweet love was my daily bread   
You'd come to me when the moon would rise   
Sweet St. Annie of the wild blue eyes   
  
The days flew by like pages   
On those rain-soaked streets where Gainsberg wrote   
We made love in the mornings   
Where did they go, where did they go?   
  
You were my ragtag savior   
And I was your hopeless case   
We made our way through the bars and cafes   
And I memorized your heavenly face   
  
St. Annie you blessed my bed   
Your sweet love was my daily bread   
You'd come to me when the moon would rise   
Sweet St. Annie of the wild blue eyes   
  
Sweet, sweet Annie   
Your love was all I had   
And your wild blue eyes   
Sweet St. Annie of the wild blue eyes.   
  
"St. Annie of the Wild Blue Eyes." Roch Voisine, Kissing Rain"   
  
  
--------  
Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep   
  
The steady beep of the heart monitor filled his ears. Aside from the soft noise   
of breathing it was all the Sentinel could hear.   
  
How? How could he have let this happen?  
  
She looked almost dead. Barely clinging to life. So frail and fragile.   
  
So many tubes and wires . . .   
  
Could she, a Sentinel, feel the discomfort of all those devices even through the   
thick fog of a coma?   
  
Jim reached out to pick up and hold one limp hand, he felt a lump form   
in his throat. Because of him, it was because of him she was here. He'd failed   
to protect her when she needed him the most.   
  
He smiled ruefully. If Annie heard that she'd probably shoot him.   
  
His smile faded as he reached out to brush a lock of pale blond hair away from   
her still, angelic face.   
  
If she could hear him. If she were awake to hear him. If she ever woke up.   
  
"C'mon Annie," Jim whispered, pressing a kiss into her palm. "Lemme see those   
blue eyes . . . please."   
  
No response.   
  
She lay still. Eyes closed. Unmoving. The only sign of life being the barely   
perceptible rise and fall of her chest as the respirator forced oxygen into her   
lungs.   
  
His heart ached just watching her.   
  
To see her like this was killing him. Annie, a fiercely independent and strong   
woman, lying quiet and vulnerable.   
  
He still couldn't believe she'd been shot to begin with. Somehow, she was always the   
one who came out unscathed. The one who teased Blair about being a magnet for   
injuries. The one who played nurse to Jim when he was injured or ill. Annie was always  
the one who took care of everyone else. It was inconceivable that now she was the one  
who needed to be taken care of.   
  
Two lucky shots.   
  
With all the criminals, She had faced down in her career, that had tried to   
kill her and failed, she ended up fighting for her life all because she'd wanted   
a cappuccino.   
  
And in an ultimate irony they hadn't even been on duty when it happened. That   
was the thing that got Jim.   
  
She'd wanted a French vanilla cappuccino so they'd pulled over to a coffee   
shop and she and Jo had headed inside.   
  
A cappuccino. She'd only wanted a cappuccino.   
  
While she and Jo were in getting their coffee, Jim and Blair had gone across the   
street to get some takeout for dinner.   
  
Everything was fine until they heard the shots. Then a scream that had frozen Jim's   
blood.   
  
Jo's voice screaming Annie's name.   
  
Apparently one of the waitresses had a boyfriend who was involved in a gang and   
members of a rival gang had come in. They'd been quiet for a few minutes. The   
badge on Annie's hip accompanied by the nine mm had probably had a great deal to   
do with their good behaviour.   
  
Then the waitress's boyfriend and some of his 'boys' had shown up. Within   
seconds of their arrival the situation had degenerated into a full scale gun battle.  
  
Instinctively Annie'd shoved Jo behind the counter and went for her gun. But,   
before she could return fire, two bullets, meant for the waitress behind her,   
thudded into her chest.   
  
Without a sound she'd dropped to the linoleum. Right in front of Jo.   
  
Her scream had cut into Jim like a knife. While a very energetic person, she was   
not given to overreactions. A scream like that had meant Annie was in serious   
trouble. Or worse.   
  
He didn't remember what had happened immediately after he heard the scream.   
Blair said he'd dropped the Chinese he'd been holding and charged across the   
street like a wild man. Not looking left nor right, just running straight   
through the traffic.   
  
One thing he did remember and always would, was the sight that had greeted him   
when he'd run into the shop.   
  
Annie sprawled on the floor, her white shirt soaked with blood . . . her blood.   
Jo'd been kneeling next to her, her normally cheerful features drawn and pinched with   
grief but focused, knowing instinctively that Annie needed her to be a surgeon first and   
a friend second.   
  
Fury had flooded into him, watching her fight to save the life of her best   
friend. All he'd wanted to do was kill the monster who'd done this. But he couldn't.   
The shooters had fled when Annie'd been hit.   
  
Someone had had the presence of mind to call 911 and Jim's Sentinel hearing had   
picked up on the wail of an approaching ambulance. He'd knelt next to Annie and   
begun begging her to live, to fight. Begging her not to leave him.   
  
When the EMT's had burst in they'd taken over for Jo but the the doctor   
refused to leave her friend's side until forcibly removed by Jim and Blair.   
Simon had arrived moments after the EMT's followed quickly by almost every   
detective in Major Crimes.   
  
She'd remained docile, standing by Blair's side, until Annie was loaded into the   
ambulance and it became clear that Jim, not her, would be accompanying Annie in   
the ambulance.   
  
Simon'd grabbed the hysterical young woman and held her firmly, preventing her   
from launching herself at the ambulance.   
  
Jo had railed at him, according to Blair, pounding on the tall man's chest with   
her tiny fists with more strength then either man would have expected. Trying   
with all her strength to break his grip.   
  
He'd had held fast until the ambulance had left and Jo'd begun to sob. He'd   
then passed her over to Blair, knowing the younger man was more of a comfort   
than he could be.  
  
The captain had excused himself and gone to oversee the army of detectives   
combing over the coffee shop. He'd walked away rubbing his chest and shaking his   
head.   
  
When she was calm enough, Blair had driven Jo to the hospital where they'd found   
Jim and headed to a waiting room near the ER to wait while the doctors worked on   
Annie.   
  
Once there, he had found himself faced with the nearly impossible task of   
keeping Jim and Jo from beating the walls down in their worry. He'd had no time   
to be worried himself and that had been something he was profoundly grateful   
for. Not that keeping them under control was a task he'd enjoyed. It'd   
been nearly impossible.   
  
Hours passed before anyone came to update them on Annie's condition. When the   
doctor finally arrived his friends had pounced. Shooting question after question   
at the poor man. Blair'd finally managed to get between them and the bewildered   
doctor. He'd apologized for his friends behaviour then asked for an update.   
  
Fortunately the doctor had understood their behaviour and had calmly   
recited Annie's condition. She'd gone through everything well. They'd had to   
insert a chest tube in the ER. Fortunately, she'd been unconscious when she   
was brought in. Her chances were good but he'd cautioned them that her   
condition was critical, a lung had been nicked and there were some concerns   
about it collapsing.   
  
Jo'd asked a question at that point and had gotten into a very technical   
discussion with the surgeon about the particulars of Annie's injury. While Jim   
and Blair weren't exactly rookies when it came to hospitals and bullet wounds   
they'd had absolutely no idea what the two doctors were talking about.   
  
The minute she was satisfied with the doctor's answers she'd demanded to see   
Annie. And, understanding the bond that existed between Sentinel and Guide, Jim   
had acquiesced. He'd let her spend the night at Annie's side, despite his own   
overwhelming need to be there.   
  
It had seemed like an eternity but morning had finally come and brought with it   
Rafe, Henri, Joel and Simon. The three detectives expressed their concern to Jim   
then had stepped back to let Simon update Jim.   
  
Two of the gang members involved had been caught. Unfortunately neither one was   
the shooter, which meant Annie was still in danger.   
  
It would soon hit the news that a police detective had been shot and once that   
happened the shooter would know who they'd shot and that she was still alive.   
Which was not good since they'd known already that she was probably the only   
one who could accurately ID the shooter. Most everyone else had ducked under   
tables and Jo had been on her knees behind the counter. The two kids couldn't   
say who'd fired the shots either. They'd been to busy trying to shoot their   
rivals.   
  
The news had catapulted Jim's protective instincts into overdrive. Within   
fifteen minutes he had a uniformed officer outside the door and a few   
plain-clothed officers stationed near the elevator and stairs in the lobby.   
Plus, without being asked, on top of their regular duty shifts, the guys from   
Major Crimes were pulling guard duty. They'd stationed themselves in strategic   
points around her floor.   
  
"C'mon Annie," Jim whispered, stroking her hair. "Wake up. Just open those eyes   
and glare at me. Tell me to get my ass down to Starbucks to get up a cappuccino.   
Better yet, yell at me for dropping the Chinese . . . C'mon Annie . . . just   
wake up. What's the fun of being laid up in the hospital if you spend all your   
time unconscious? You're missing all the good stuff. You should've seen the   
doctor's face when Jo and I stared jumping all over him about you. I think if   
Blair hadn't calmed us down he'd would've run for the door." He chuckled. "You  
would've laughed at us and said to switch to decaf. I know, you're wondering   
where Jo is; Sandburg took her back to the loft. Well . . . took isn't exactly  
the right word for it. Dragged would be. She practically been glued to your side  
ever since you decided to play practice dummy. She lost it when we wouldn't let   
her ride in the ambulance with you then she drilled me about what they'd done   
with you in the ER; hell, she even tried to get into the operating room.  
I don't think she trusted the doctors with you. Must be a mutual thing, I remember   
how protective you were of Jo when you first got here, especially around me. If   
I so much as looked at her the wrong way those blue lasers of yours were on me."  
Jim sighed as he surveyed Annie's unresponsive face. "C'mon, wake up." Receiving  
no response, he tightened his grip on her hand and resolutely began talking again.   
  
-----------  
  
Blair Sandburg wandered around the living room. The only sound in the loft was   
the noise of the shower.   
  
Trying to distract himself, the teaching fellow picked up the remote and flicked   
on the television.   
  
He flicked idly through the channels, unable to focus his attention on any   
particular program. How could he, when one of his close friends was lying in a hospital  
bed clinging to life?  
  
Annie was the closest thing to an older sister he'd ever had. She was the one he   
talked to when he couldn't go to Jim or Jo. Annie was a confidante, sounding board  
and guru of all things Sentinel and female. She was the ultimate expert on the two  
things Blair seemed to have the most problems with. Sentinels and women. If he   
needed to know something about Sentinels and he couldn't ask Jim for some reason,  
he went to Annie. And where else would he go for advice on Canadian women? Or one  
feisty young Canadian woman in particular?   
  
He couldn't imagine not having her around; they did their birthday present shopping  
together, planned Jim's surprise party together, and (best of all) played   
practical jokes together. They'd even gotten into a good old-fashioned pillow   
fight.   
  
He felt a lump form in his throat as he faced, for the first time, the   
possibility of losing Annie. He hadn't allowed himself to consider the   
possibility until that moment, he'd been to busy keeping everyone else calm.   
  
Blair forced a smile onto his face and turned to face Jo, who was walking   
out of the bathroom, towelling off her short dark hair. "Hey beautiful! Water   
hot enough?"   
  
She nodded dumbly as she walked past him to the kitchen. "Any word from the hospital?"   
  
"No. Which is good. Means no change."  
  
She made a small noise and turned to pour herself a cup of coffee.   
  
Blair turned to face the television as the local news came on.   
  
The announcer's face was grim as a small Cascade PD crest appeared in the upper   
corner of the screen. "The identity if the lone victim in the Main Street   
shooting has been confirmed. Detective Anne Marie Langdon was shot twice in the   
chest during a gang fight that broke out in a Main Street coffee shop. Detective   
Langdon is a Toronto police detective currently working in the Major Crimes   
department of the Cascade PD. At last report, Detective Langdon's condition was   
listed as critical but stable. She has been in the news most recently for a series  
of successful investigations with Cascade's own Detective Jim Ellison of Major Crimes . . . "   
  
Blair turned the volume down in time to hear a crash.   
  
He spun and saw Jo standing by the island in the kitchen. She was staring at the   
picture on the screen. It was one of Annie and Jim taken at a crime scene. Annie   
wore a navy blue pantsuit, white shirt and navy blue coat. Jim stood next to her   
in his usual black leather jacket with khaki pants and a dark sweater.   
  
"Jo?"   
  
She stared at the television for a moment then noticed the broken coffee mug.   
  
"Oh."   
  
He hurried over as he recognized the first signs of an impending explosion.   
  
"It's ok, I got it."   
  
He quickly picked up the larger pieces and tossed them into the garbage then   
grabbed a cloth to wipe up the coffee. He turned to find her kneeling next to the   
spill staring down at the liquid.   
  
Hesitantly she reached out a shaking hand to touch the liquid.   
  
"Jo?" Blair knelt next to her and pushed her dark hair away from her face.   
"Honey, are you all right?"   
  
"So much of it."  
  
"So much of what?"   
  
"It was everywhere." She turned her hand over and looked at it.   
  
He reached past her to wipe the coffee up along with the smaller pieces of   
the cup then put the cloth in the sink.   
  
"Jo?" He knelt again next to her. " What are you talking about?"   
  
"There was so much blood." She said finally, lifting tear filled hazel eyes to   
his. "I barely stopped it."   
  
"One bullet nicked a lung. There's always a lot of bleeding when a lung is hit.   
You said so yourself." He took her hands in his and helped her stand. Then   
without saying a word he pulled her into his arms and rested her head against   
his shoulder.   
  
"She can't die." Jo whispered. "She can't!"   
  
She sobbed quietly, her tears soaking into Blair's shirt.   
  
"Annie's not going to die Jo. She's to stubborn for that. She wouldn't leave us. Not   
if she has a choice in the matter."   
  
She looked up at him, tears flowing freely down her face. "But what if she doesn't?"   
  
------------  
  
"Hey man!" The young man turned from the television long enough to wave his friend over.   
  
"Yeah?" He leaned over the younger man's shoulder to look at the screen.   
  
"Ain't that the babe you shot the other day?"   
  
The elder man surveyed Annie Langdon's face. "Yeah man. The Barbie doll."   
  
"Yeah well, your Barbie doll's a cop!"   
  
"What?!"   
  
"And it gets better. She's still alive." He glanced up at his friend. "If she   
wakes up and gives the cops a description of us. We're in serious trouble. Every   
cop in the city'll be looking for us. You know how they are when one of their   
own gets hurt. Sides it said she works with that cop from Major Crimes. You know   
the one who's always in the news. Ellison. They're partners or somethin'."   
  
His friend remained silent but both knew what had to be done.   
  
--------------  
  
Jim was started out of his sleep by a familiar scent.   
  
"Hello, Simon." He said, sleepily, rubbing his face.   
  
"For once you could wait until I get into the room." The captain groused in a low irritated  
tone.   
  
"It's your cigars." Jim responded absently. "They give you away every time."   
  
Simon surveyed the pale woman lying on the bed before him.   
  
"How is she?" He asked quietly.   
  
"No change. She's not even responding to my voice."   
  
"She's a tough lady Jim. She won't give up without a fight. And we both know   
what kind of a fighter she is."   
  
Jim chuckled softly. He knew better than anyone what kind of a fighter she  
was. They had been at each other's throats from the moment they'd met. "I know   
Simon. It's just that I can't face losing her. I don't know how I . . . "   
  
"I don't think any of us could face that, let alone you and Jo . . . How is she  
anyway?"   
  
He sighed. "About as well as can be expected. This is her worst nightmare."   
  
"I got that when I saw her at the coffee shop. The girl used my chest as a punching bag. I  
think my bruises have bruises."   
  
Ellison grinned despite himself. " Annie'd love that one."   
  
"I have a feeling that when she wakes up, I'm never going to hear the end of it."   
  
Jim returned his attention to Annie's still face. "If she wakes up."   
  
"She will." Simon said firmly. " She's got too much to live for. Too much to   
give up. Besides, you know her, she'll milk this for all the babying she can   
get."   
  
"Shooting hit the news yet?"   
  
"Yeah, about an hour ago. They gave her name, a picture, even her background."   
  
His jaw clenched and his blue eyes turned to ice. "They just signed her death warrant and   
they don't they care."   
  
"What they care about," Simon responded, anger filling his voice. " is milking a   
good news story for all the ratings its worth." He placed a hand on his friend's  
shoulder. "C'mon, let's get you a cup of coffee. Rafe's dying to get in here to   
talk to Annie and I know Megan wants to come down here. You need the break, Jim."  
  
He touched Annie's limp hand once more, then stood and brushed a gentle kiss   
across her forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes ok? I love you."   
  
Trailing a hand down her arm, he started towards the door with Simon.   
  
His hand had just touched the doorknob when his hearing picked up on   
a sound he'd never expected to hear again.   
  
"Love you too . . . Jim."   
  
He spun and stared at the woman lying in the hospital bed.   
  
"Jim?" Simon was looking at Annie as well. She appeared the same as before.   
Unmoving.   
  
He ignored him, rushing to the bed. "Annie? Sweetheart?"   
  
The captain followed. "Jim? Did you hear something?"   
  
Jim brushed her hair back with one hand while holding hers with the other and she stirred  
slightly under his ministrations.  
  
"Jim?" Her voice was husky and weak but as her eyes flickered open he saw they were as  
vibrant and sharp as ever.   
  
"Simon, get a doctor in here!"   
  
The captain was out the door before Jim'd finished speaking.   
  
"Hey," He said smiling tenderly.   
  
"What . . . " Annie paused and licked her dry lips. "What happened?"   
  
He poured a cup of water and helped Annie sip it. "You played Sandburg for a   
day and got shot twice in the chest."   
  
She winced. "That's why I hurt like hell?"   
  
Jim chuckled. "Turn down the dial, Annie, turn down the dial."   
  
She chuckled herself then cringed at the pain it caused. "Ouch. Easier said   
than done . . . where's Jo?"   
  
"At the loft with Sandburg. We bullied her into getting some sleep and food."   
He glanced up. Simon was coming with the doctor. "Look, when the doctor's done   
checking you out we need to get a sketch artist in here to get a description of   
the shooter."   
  
"The guys are getting nowhere huh?" Her voice was weak with fatigue.   
  
"Basically. We're attributing the lack of results to either worry or   
exhaustion." Jim responded with a smile.   
  
"The guys are worried about me?" She blinked.  
  
"We take care of our own remember? You're one of us."  
  
It was then the doctor came in followed by Simon.   
  
"I'm going over to Major Crimes and tell everyone the good news."   
  
Jim nodded. "I better call Jo and Blair." He walked back over to the bed. "I'll   
be right back. "   
  
Annie nodded and responded when he kissed her.   
  
"Love you." He whispered.   
  
"Love you." She answered with a tired smile.   
  
------------  
  
Jo was dozing quietly on the couch and Blair sat nearby in a chair, reading one   
of his anthropology texts, when the phone rang.   
  
Instantly he jumped up and snatched the phone off its base. "Hello?.... Jim!   
Hey, man what's up?" He paused, listening. "Yeah, I guess we all knew it would   
happen. Yeah, ok, right. Bye."   
  
"Blair?"   
  
She stood before him, worry and fear filling her wide green eyes.   
  
He stood quietly for a moment, absorbing the news himself.   
  
"Tell me . . . " She implored. "Please Blair?"   
  
He took her hand in his. "Annie . . . " Her eyes filled with tears as she   
feared the worst. Her worry, however, was unfounded. "She woke up about five   
minutes ago."   
  
The tears overflowed but now they were tears of relief.   
  
"Thank God." She sobbed in relief as Blair pulled her close.   
  
"Yeah, thank God." He whispered into her hair.   
  
Then, with a gleeful smile, Jo pulled back and zeroed in for a passionate   
celebratory kiss.   
  
-------------  
  
Simon strode into a subdued Major Crimes. Detectives were walking through the   
bullpen holding files and envelopes but few spoke and when they did it was in   
low subdued tones.   
  
"All right guys listen up! I've got news."   
  
Everyone stopped, all with the same anxious expression.   
  
"Annie?" Rafe spoke the question that was on everyone's mind.   
  
He nodded.   
  
"Well?" Henri demanded walking up.   
  
"Is she?" Taggert asked worriedly.   
  
He hesitated then smiled broadly. "She woke up about ten minutes ago."   
  
Everyone stood in stunned silence for a few seconds as they digested the   
information. Then everything, and everyone, erupted into chaos.   
  
Applause and cheers filled the bullpen and Simon had a feeling that the minute   
he was inside his office there'd be one hell of a party.   
  
"Rafe! Get a sketch artist and get over to Cascade General and get a   
description of the shooter!" Simon yelled before walking into his office.   
  
------------  
  
A young orderly walked through the halls of the intensive care unit. He was   
pushing a cart of hospital supplies but his eyes weren't on the cart, they were   
on the security stationed around one particular room. Occupied by one particular   
police detective.   
  
No one noticed him when he walked past the room and took note of the room number   
and security around the door.   
  
The elevator doors were barely open when Jo came flying out through.   
  
"Jo! Wait!" Blair called out running after her.   
  
Two uniformed officers stood in the waiting room. They smiled as the tiny trauma   
surgeon raced down the hallway to her best friend's room.   
  
She opened the door and promptly slammed into Jim Ellison's broad chest.   
  
"Easy Jo. You just can't go barging in there, not yet anyway." Jim said as he   
steadied her.   
  
She glared up at him. "Oh?...and why not?"   
  
"Because Rafe's in there with a sketch artist and they're getting a description   
of the shooter. They'll be done in a minute and then you can go in and see her."   
  
She sighed then acquiesced. "How is she Jim?"   
  
"Awake . . . but tired."   
  
Her smile could've lit up the darkest of nights. "Excellent!"   
  
"Detective," the sketch artist stood in the doorway a piece of paper in hand. He   
presented it to Jim. "This is the sketch of the shooter. According to Detective   
Langdon it's as close as we'll get without actually having a picture on hand."   
  
"And if we had a picture, we wouldn't need a sketch." Jim noted as he eyed the paper.   
  
"Uh . . . Does this mean I can see Annie now?" Jo asked plaintively, after a few   
seconds.   
  
Jim glanced through the doorway in time to see Rafe flip his notebook shut,   
smile at Annie, and turn towards the door.   
  
"Yeah." He nodded.   
  
She scurried past him and around Rafe and over to the bed.   
  
"Heya boss lady! Who said you could take a powder without my permission?" Jo put   
her tiny hands on her hips and glared down at Annie.   
  
The female Sentinel smiled wearily. "Don't make me laugh Jo. It hurts too much."   
  
"Suffer! Who said you could get shot?"   
  
"Suffer? Me? I've only been shot twice in the chest. Where's the suffering in   
that?" Annie rolled her eyes. "And for your information I had the permission of   
Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson."   
  
"If you weren't lying in a hospital bed, I'd smack you," She glared, then as swiftly  
it had appeared her irritation vanished. Jo's green eyes teared up.   
  
"Annie, don't you ever do that to me again!"   
  
Instantly Annie was in full Sentinel/Mother hen mode. "Hey, Jo, it's Ok. I'm fine.   
I've been shot before. It's no big deal."   
  
"No big deal! You took two bullets to the chest! You were in a coma! Annie, you   
nearly died! That my darling detective counts as a big deal!"   
  
Jo's voice was several levels below a yell but her meaning came across loud and clear.   
  
"C'mere." Annie managed a weak wave.   
  
"What?" Jo looked confused.   
  
"C'mere." She muttered in a tone that was meant to be threatening but came across   
as strained. "I would never leave you all right? If that means walking bare foot   
across hot tin, surviving two bullets to the chest, spending an afternoon with   
Cassie or eating Blair's cooking. Anything. I promise you that. I'm not going to  
leave you. Ever. Got it!" She fell back against her pillow obviously tired but   
she knew by the look on the younger woman's face, Jo had gotten the message.   
"Besides, who'd help Sandburg shop for presents for you if I died?"   
  
"Precisely Jo," Blair added in. "I'd be lost without Annie." He grinned then   
bent down to kiss Annie on the forehead. "Hey beautiful. Good to see you   
conscious."   
  
"Funny . . . " Annie shot back then noticed Blair seemed to be hiding something.   
"Sandburg, what are you doing?"   
  
He blinked innocently. "Doing?"   
  
"You're hiding something behind your back."   
  
"I am?" He turned slightly. "Well, her eyes are working." He held out a medium-sized  
stuffed bear. "Meet Mr. Ellison."   
  
She eyed the beautiful soft furry brown bear. Who, she did notice, happened to resemble  
a certain detective she knew.   
  
"Mr . . . Who?"   
  
"Mr. Ellison." Jo confirmed. "We saw him in the gift shop. Both Blair and I   
guessed that since Jim isn't allowed to sleep in that bed with you, you must be   
kinda lonely. So we brought you the next best thing. A bear that looks like   
Jim."   
  
She looked skeptical but there was a twinkle in her blue eyes. "Well he does   
kinda look like Jim."   
  
"Who kinda looks like Jim?" Jim asked appearing in the doorway.   
  
"Mr. Ellison." All three chorused.   
  
He blinked.   
  
For clarification, Blair held out the bear. "Mr. Ellison. Since you're too big   
for that bed, we decided to give her the next best thing."   
  
He glanced over at Annie who shrugged tiredly.   
  
"He's even wearing a green sweater like yours Jim!" Jo pointed out helpfully.   
  
Jim took the bear in his hands and surveyed it. The green sweater did look like   
one he owned.   
  
He then lifted his eyes to survey Jo and Blair, who were watching him with twin   
expressions of eagerness.   
  
His gaze then flicked over to a sleepy Annie, he looked back down at the   
bear, then walked over to her.  
  
"Your teddy bear, milady." He said presenting the bear to her with a flourish.   
  
She laughed softly and with a slight grimace of pain, lifted an arm to nestle the  
teddy bear against her side.   
  
"Thanks, guys."   
  
Jim noticed her drooping eyelids and, looking over at his friends, inclined   
his head towards the door.   
  
She nodded slightly. "We'd better get going. You need rest and the esteemed   
detective here has a bad guy to catch."   
  
"Kay."   
  
Jo bent down careful to avoid the various tubes and hugged her best friend.   
"However, Blair and I have some grocery shopping to do."   
  
"No squabbling over the pasta and no fist fights over the vegetables, got it?"   
Annie warned, her blue eyes twinkling.   
  
"Darn. You mean I can't hit Blair over the head with a T-bone?" She inquired in   
mischief.   
  
"No smacking the little guy with any meats. Frozen or otherwise."   
  
"Well, I'll compromise. If Blair doesn't buy tongue. I won't hit him." Jo   
offered generously. "I refuse to eat anything that's been in any animal's mouth.   
It's disgusting!"   
  
"It's food!" Blair countered.   
  
"Blair, it was an organ that an animal once used to chew and make sounds with.   
How would you feel if someone ate your tongue?"   
  
"At least he'd be quiet." Annie offered.   
  
"Knowing Sandburg, he'd learn sign language." Jim said with a sigh.   
  
"And when he got excited he'd probably sign so wildly he'd put somebody's eye   
out." Jo said in mock-irritation.   
  
"Guys, I'm crushed that you think that of me."   
  
Jo rolled her eyes. "Blai honey, you're better off not knowing what I think about you." She  
hesitated for a second, then grinned. "C'mon, handsome, we've got shopping to do."   
  
"Later." Annie half-waved.   
  
When they left, Jim moved forward. "Now that Donald and Daisy are gone, I'll say a   
proper good bye." He whispered, kissing her.   
  
It was times like this when he felt torn between his duty and his emotions.  
He knew his duty as a Sentinel and a cop was to go out there and find the   
shooter but at the same time his emotions were screaming for him to stay glued   
to Annie's side, to protect her and care for her.   
  
She yawned sleepily. She was just so tired, she could hardly keep her eyes   
open. And that was frustrating, she didn't want to be the one who had to lie in   
the bed and wave as everyone left. She wanted to be the one leaving to go nail   
the perp who'd pulled the trigger. It was hard to be the helpless one.   
Nevertheless her body wouldn't let her. It was steadily pulling her down into   
sleep. "Ok." She smiled up at him. "Relax, honey. There's a guard outside. I'll   
be fine."   
  
He smiled softly. "I know."   
  
Annie smiled back. "But you're still worried."   
  
"Sentinel's prerogative."   
  
She shook her head slightly. "I suppose."   
  
"Oh come on. You know if the situation were reversed you'd be worried to."   
Her smile turned sheepish. "True. Now get going before Simon fires you." She   
didn't want him to go. She knew it and she also knew Jim knew it. But Annie also   
knew Jim had a job to do. A job that she wanted to do. They were Sentinels and   
part of that meant they had to ignore their own wants in order to protect their   
tribe.   
  
He smiled, kissed her again and then, reluctantly, left. Listening as Annie settled   
back into her pillow. Knowing that right about then her exhaustion was finally winning   
and that she was sinking down deep into sleep.   
  
--------------  
  
"Well?" the gang leader said sitting up as his young assistant walked into their hangout.   
  
"Toby man, I don't know how you're gonna get to her. Ellison's got a ton of guards on that  
floor."   
  
"Never mind that Zach, just tell me what's going on up there!" Toby snapped angrily.   
  
Zach sighed and sitting down, he described in detail what he'd seen around Anne Marie Langdon's  
hospital room.   
  
Both young men were completely unaware of that fact that a description of Toby   
was now in the hands of the Cascade PD's Major Crimes division.   
  
Jim Ellison strode into Major Crimes and even before he could yell Rafe's name,   
the detective was walking along beside him. "Thought you might want to take a   
look at this. We got a match with the sketch. This guy here. He goes by Toby.   
They're pulling his rap sheet now." He handed the detective a copy of the sketch   
along with a mug shot. "Plus we got the waitress from the coffee shop in here."   
  
"His girlfriend?" Jim queried.   
  
Rafe nodded. "By the looks of it, she was the intended target, not Annie. She   
must have gotten on her boyfriend's bad side."   
  
His eyes were steely. "I'm interviewing her."   
  
He nodded again. "We thought you'd want to."   
  
"We?"   
  
The detective was grinning. "I already Ok'd it with Simon."   
  
He just shook his head.   
  
-------  
  
Jillian cracked her gum and glanced around the interview room. She hoped it was   
the cute detective, what was his name . . . Rafe, that interviewed her. He was   
the one who'd brought her in. As she waited she found herself picking at the   
polish on her nails. She was still shaky. He'd tried to kill her. Toby had   
actually tried to kill her.   
  
The door swung open and a tall imposing detective walked in, yanking her out of   
her musings. His blue eyes were cold and angry.   
  
She surveyed the tall man for a moment, appraising his good looks and his   
attitude. He was obviously angry, that much she could see.   
  
"Ms. Hendricks." He nodded stiffly. "I'm Detective Ellison. I'd like to talk to   
you about your boyfriend." Jim stared at slender young woman sitting at the   
table. This was the woman that Annie had taken the bullets for? Forcing himself   
to stay calm Jim walked over to the table.   
  
She was a little taken aback by his brisk, businesslike town but nevertheless she  
smiled coyly. "My boyfriend? I wouldn't really call him my boyfriend." This guy   
was not what she'd been expecting. He was big and imposing and she was starting   
to get scared. She'd heard stories of cops getting violent.   
  
He wasn't gonna hit her...was he?   
  
"Oh really?" Jim began to pace the interrogation room. "Well I know what you   
should call him. An attempted murderer. You see Ms. Hendricks, your boyfriend   
shot a cop. And I work with that cop. She's a very good friend of mine." He  
stopped pacing on the other side of the table, opposite to where Jillian was   
sitting. Then he leaned in on his hands, getting right in her face as he   
continued. "In fact, we're more than just good friends." His tone had gone   
from business like to threatening. "Now I want to know where 'Toby' is." He   
slammed a hand on the table for emphasis, the resounding noise making her jump   
in fear.   
  
She sat quiet, frozen in place, after her initial jump, by Ellison's icy   
glare. She knew she was in trouble but . . . "He'll kill me."   
  
"Wake up Jillian, he's already tried that remember?" Jim said flatly. "Those   
bullets that hit Detective Langdon were meant for you! Toby was trying to kill   
you." He stabbed the air in front of her, punctuating his words. "And if we don't  
get him he will try again! But before he goes after you he's going after Detective  
Langdon. She saved your life when she took those bullets. Now its your turn to save  
hers. Where is he?" Ellison demanded, in a fierce whisper.   
  
Jillian looked down at her hands for a long moment, fiddling with her nails,   
finally she spoke hesitantly, she wasn't sure she was doing the right thing.   
Either way her life was over. Toby didn't like snitches, she'd seen that more   
than once. And she knew he'd hear that the cops had brought her in, it didn't   
matter if she told them anything or not. He'd assume she had and kill her. All   
things considered she was safer with the cops than with Toby. "There's this   
place, a warehouse, downtown, where they hang out. His gang. They'd probably be   
there."   
  
He handed her a pad of paper and a pen and she wrote down the address. He held   
his hands behind his back while she wrote and found himself crossing his   
fingers. 'Please let that address be legit.' He thought as the pen moved across   
the paper.  
  
"Thank you." He said sincerely then turned toward the door but Jillian's voice   
stopped him from going through.   
  
"Detective Ellison?"   
  
Jim turned. "Yes?"   
  
"Tell her thank you for me." Jillian's eyes were earnest. "And...you guys...you'll  
protect me right? I mean, Toby's got friends you know, and they'll know it was me."   
  
"The captain will talk to the D.A." He informed her quietly and walked out. As he   
did so his eyes fell on the address Jillian had given him. An address meant a concrete   
lead (he hoped) and that meant he was one step closer to finding this Toby. One step   
closer to looking into his face and getting the satisfaction of making him pay. For the   
first time since he'd walked into Major Crimes, Jim Ellison smiled.   
  
--------  
  
Uniformed officers stormed into the warehouse, guns drawn. Gang members around   
the room dove for their guns but they were sorely outnumbered. In seconds they   
were subdued.   
  
Mug shot in hand, Jim strode in and eyed every single gang member in the   
building but, to his frustration, Toby was not among the suspects.   
  
Ellison's ice blue eyes raked over the group and he held up the mug shot.   
  
"Where is he?" He demanded angrily, only to be greeted by stony silence.   
  
He glared at them and he saw some wilt under the force of his rage but none spoke.   
  
"You guys don't seem to understand!" Simon thundered. "Your friend shot a cop!   
And she's still alive. But if he's on his way to kill her and should he succeed.  
You'll all be accessories to Murder One!" He swept the crowd of young people before   
him with the steely glare that had made more than one of his detectives sweat, many   
looked back at him with outright defiance, others shuffled their feet and wouldn't   
meet his gaze, others looked at him with genuine fear in their eyes. Most were  
just quiet.   
  
Simon let the silence hang, knowing the longer he stayed quiet the less defiance   
they'd be able to manage. Finally one young man who seemed particularly fidgety   
took a slight step forward.   
  
A uniformed officer spotted him and grabbed his jacket, meaning to drag him   
before the captain but Simon shook his head. Silently telling the cop to let the   
kid come forward on his own two feet.   
  
The captain focussed his gaze in on him. 'Good, we're getting somewhere. C'mon kid. Do   
some good for once'. "Are you willing to go to prison for him? He shot a cop. And you're  
going down for it. He's left you hanging. Is he worth it?"   
  
The kid cracked.   
  
"Naw man. He ain't." The kid stepped forward and raised his head, daring the   
others to challenge him "Toby and Zach went over to the hospital to finish off   
the Barbie doll."   
  
Hearing the gender slur, Jim's eyes went from ice to steel again. "Her name's   
Annie." He hissed and stalked out, angry at himself for letting the kid's   
ignorance get to him.   
  
Jo and Blair were just pulling out of the grocery store's parking lot when Jo frowned.   
  
Blair happened to glance over and spot the look. "Jo? Honey? Something wrong?"   
  
"Blair, head for the hospital."   
  
"What? Why?" Blair, although he was questioning her, automatically turned Annie's jeep   
in the direction of the hospital.   
  
"Something's wrong. I know it. Something's wrong with Annie." Jo murmured   
distractedly, she could feel the bond that existed between her and Annie, the   
link that constantly existed between a Sentinel and a Guide, begin to weaken and   
unravel.   
  
Without hesitation he pressed down on the gas pedal.   
  
---------  
  
Annie lay sleeping quietly in her hospital room. Her ordinarily sharp senses   
were dulled by painkillers. In her drugged state the sentinel was almost   
completely unaware of any of the activity going on outside her room. However   
sounds from the hallway intruded into her unconsciousness giving her dream   
images a surreal quality as the real life sounds segued into pictures in her   
mind. She was restless, her head moving back and forth in agitation as she tried to   
get the healing sleep she needed, sleep that seemed to be eluding her.   
  
At Toby's order, Zach had worked hard to blend in on her floor. At varying   
times every day he'd push a cart of medical supplies or laundry through the   
hall. Once even gaining access to Detective Langdon's room when a doctor asked   
for his help to move a piece of equipment out. He'd been very careful to avoid   
Jim Ellison and any of Detective Langdon's close friends. Although he'd had a   
close call with the anthropologist the day before when he'd stopped by the   
detective's room, supposedly to check the bathroom supplies.   
  
His daily 'rounds' on the floor also familiarized him with the shifts the guards   
worked. And he knew that when the shifts changed both the guard coming on shift   
and the guard going on shift had to go to the nurses desk.   
  
So when the shift changed Zach pushed his cart down the hall and stopped in   
front of Detective Langdon's room. The card he pushed today was a laundry cart   
filled with bedding. With a casual air he pushed the cart into the room and   
closed the door.   
  
He then sauntered down the corridor toward the elevators.   
  
The doors to one elevator slid open and Jo and Blair stepped out. Jo nodded at   
the young man, not really seeing his face, and started down the hall, intent on   
getting to her friend.  
  
But Blair stopped. There was something wrong with this picture. He stared at the   
young man. Trying to place what it was.   
  
Then it hit him. The orderly he'd run into the other day. He'd been pushing a   
cart. He'd given Blair such a startled look. Like he was afraid of something.   
Afraid of recognition. Instantly Blair knew. He didn't know how he knew. He just   
did. Glancing around he spotted Joel Taggert. "Joel! Grab that guy!"   
  
Taggert hurried over and grabbed the orderly by the arm. "Something wrong Blair?"   
  
"Check this guy's ID. I have a feeling he's no orderly."   
  
-------  
  
The room was deathly silent except for the noise of the machines.   
  
Annie lay silent. Finally deep asleep as her subconscious picked up on the   
presence of the two Guides outside. So deep that she never noticed when the   
laundry started to move.   
  
Toby popped up from under the sheets and cautiously eased out over the edge of   
the cart and advanced on the bed. He looked at the sleeping woman and couldn't   
believe his luck. She was out cold. "This is gonna be easier than taking candy   
from a baby," He grinned maliciously to himself as he noticed a pillow lying on   
a nearby chair. Deciding to take the easy route and smother the elegant   
detective, he picked up the pillow and walked over to the bed.   
  
"Sorry 'bout this doll, but you saw my face and we can't have you getting me   
into any trouble with Cascade's finest. I've got enough problems with them as   
is."   
  
"Have a nice long sleep Barbie!" Resolutely he lowered the pillow over her   
face. At first there was no reaction but then she began to struggle trying to   
get the pillow away from her face, however due to her weakened state Annie   
couldn't put up much of a fight.   
  
-----------  
  
Jo's heart suddenly began to pound. Looking around she spotted a cart of various   
medical supplies. Catching sight of a telltale glint of steel. She snatched the   
object off the shelf and burst into Annie's room. The doctor was greeted by   
the sight of the gang leader pressing a pillow down over her friend's face.   
Annie was feebly waving her arms, trying to claw at the suffocating material, at   
his hands, anything to free herself.   
  
Toby, hearing the door open and the gasp that accompanied it, spun but he didn't   
stand a chance against a Guide in full protect mode.   
  
Enraged, she shoved the laundry cart at him. It slammed into him hard, knocking him   
off balance. Instead of falling forward into Annie, the gang leader found   
himself falling back into the cart. Not satisfied with just taking him out of   
the way, she smacked him on the head for good measure. Once she was sure he was   
out she raced over to the bed to check on a gasping Annie.   
  
This was the sight that greeted Jim, Simon and Blair when they raced into the   
room.   
  
The gang leader unconscious in the laundry cart, his legs and arms hanging over   
the sides like a puppet with his strings cut, and the Guide worriedly examining   
her Sentinel.   
  
She turned and spotted them. "Get that out of here." She said gesturing in   
disgust at the unconscious man.  
  
"How'd you knock him out?" Blair inquired eyeing the heavily built man.  
  
She waved her improvised weapon then looked puzzled when Simon, Blair, Jim and   
even Annie, laughed.   
  
She looked down at her hand and stared in shock as she realized what she was holding.   
  
"How am I supposed to file a report on this?" Jim asked of no one in particular.   
  
Annie coughed weakly and whispered. "Umm . . . suspect . . . was . . . subdued   
by . . . ahem . . . a...er . . . bed . . . pan." She snickered slightly at her   
own words.   
  
"A bedpan . . . " Jo stared at her hand. "I'm holding a bedpan." She looked at   
Toby. "I knocked someone out with . . . a bedpan." She examined the offending   
object closely. "I dented the bedpan."   
  
She smiled. "Jo . . . you are priceless."   
  
She looked down at her friend. "Well not exactly. I can be bought with a good   
lead crystal figurine or a big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream."   
  
Annie rolled her eyes.   
  
-------------  
  
Over the next month Annie recuperated in the hospital. Fast becoming a floor   
favourite. She always seemed to know what was going on with everyone else. Once   
her chest tube was out she began venturing beyond the confines of her room to   
visit the various patients. And when she wasn't visiting fellow patients she was   
being visited. A steady stream of detectives and friends kept the female   
sentinel entertained. Within a week Mr. Ellison wasn't the only stuffed toy in   
the room. Almost everyone who came through the door had either flowers or a   
stuffed toy for the beautiful blonde. She finally had to get Jim to carry half   
of it home to the brewery for her because she was running out of room.   
  
Despite the steady stream of visitors that kept her company, and her wanderings   
around the floor, Annie hated being cooped up. She was an active woman, she wanted to   
be out protecting the city not being waited on by a bunch of doctors and nurses   
who kept poking and prodding her.   
  
And Jo was not much better off. She hated being alone in the brewery. Well,   
without Annie that is, Blair seemed to be over every other night to 'check on   
her'. Besides, she was a doctor, she wanted to be the one treating Annie, but   
since the detective was no longer a surgical case she couldn't. She had to   
settle for visiting between surgeries and shifts in the ER.   
  
Blair found work in Major Crimes to be...well..boring. There was no Annie to get   
in paper ball wars with. They had a tendency to start little ones which then spread  
to H, Rafe, Megan and Joel. Jim would try and play the mature adult but inevitably   
he would end up in the thick of them to. Usually when somebody landed a three pointer  
right in the center of his forehead.   
  
And Jim was the worst of all of them. He moped around the loft when he wasn't at   
work or at the hospital. The loft was the worst. There were little hints of   
Annie everywhere. He could smell her shampoo on the pillows in his bed. Her   
favourite blue sweater was still tossed across one of the chairs in the living   
room. And the worst of all of them was the bed was to empty at night. He   
couldn't sleep without her warm body next to his. It wasn't as if she lived in   
the loft. But it was different when he knew she was at the brewery and could   
come over at any time. But knowing she was lying in a hospital bed, alone with   
none of her friends around...that kept him awake. Made him miss her.   
  
But finally the time came for her to be released.   
  
---------  
  
When he walked in, Annie was sitting in a wheelchair with Jo behind her putting   
the finishing touches on her blond hair.   
  
"Ready to go?" He inquired.   
  
She nodded eagerly. "Lemme outta here."   
  
Jo put her brush away. "Do I detect a note of eagerness?" She asked sarcastically.   
  
"No none whatsoever,"  
  
Blair grunted something from where he was buried under the mound of stuffed toys he was  
trying to carry.   
  
He regarded him casually but made no move to help. "Ya'll right under there Sandburg?"   
  
Sandburg mumbled again and managed to gesture wildly.   
  
"You know I think he needs a hand." Jo supplied helpfully but stayed where she was.   
  
His free hand made a thumb's up sign.   
  
"Don't look at me," Annie said sweetly. "I'm the invalid."   
  
Jo gave an unladylike snort. "Invalid my patootey."   
  
One of her blonde eyebrows rose. "Pa-whatey?"   
  
"Patootey. Now be a good little Sentinel and hold onto your bag."   
  
She rolled her eyes and gripped the overnight bag. "Jim honey, will you please help Blair  
with my stuffed toys?"   
  
Walking over to Blair, Jim took half the stuffed toys from his Guide.   
  
"Thank you." Blair said gratefully.   
  
"Think nothing of it." Jo said graciously.   
  
"Don't worry." He said sarcastically. "I won't, seeing as you're not being much help anyway."   
  
Annie laughed. "All right you two. Retreat to your respective corners." She said jerking her  
thumbs in the opposite direction for emphasis. "I want to get out of here before the doctors  
dream up some new tests to run on me."   
  
"Easy boss lady. They haven't brought your release papers yet and you can't go   
anywhere without those." Jo explained, her tone tolerant.   
  
She sighed impatiently. "This always went faster in Toronto."   
  
"That's because you spent so much time there they had the Annie-special. Rush delivery."   
  
Jim grinned. "Funny. They've got one of those here too. They call it the Sandburg Special."   
  
"Jim!" Blair practically wailed.   
  
The trio around him laughed and Annie winced. "Oooh Blair, don't make me laugh it hurts too  
much."   
  
The doctor walked in on the last comment and gave Sandburg a steely eyed glare.   
  
He smiled sheepishly as the doctor gave Annie her release papers and a stern warning to take  
it easy.   
  
---------  
  
The drive home was relatively quiet. Jim drove extra carefully, trying to avoid every bump and  
crack in the pavement that he could see.   
  
They'd decided to have her recuperate at the loft. It was closer to work and there were less   
rooms for Annie to navigate. But Jo secretly suspected Jim just wanted to have Annie close by  
so he could keep an eye on her.   
  
Jo's musings were interrupted by Annie's stern voice as she reached the door.   
  
"Jim Ellison! PUT ME DOWN! I am perfectly capable of walking!"   
  
She turned to see Jim carrying Annie from the jeep. The blonde's piercing blue eyes were  
snapping sparks.   
  
"Annie, honey," Jim said patiently. "Humor me."   
  
She sighed heavily then winced at the pain the action caused. "All right."   
  
He grinned in victory and carried her inside.   
  
Jo glanced over at Blair. "I hope he enjoys that victory. Because it's the only one he's gonna  
get."   
  
Both laughed as they headed into the building, hand in hand, glad to see their friends back  
together again, well and happy.   
  
Finis 


	2. Traditions and Memories

TITLE: Traditions and Memories  
AUTHOR: M. Edison   
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)  
CATEGORY: AU  
RATING: PG-13  
SPOILERS: No  
SUMMARY: Jim and Blair participate in a special Newfoundland tradition.  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of the Sentinel belong to me but Jo and Annie Do  
WARNING: there are original characters in this story. They do share a homeland with me but that is where the similiarity ends.  
Annie is named after a cousin and Jo...well Jo's just Jo. *snicker* Enjoy!  
  
  
This story is dedicated to the brave Newfoundlanders who died at Beaumont Hamel. We still  
grieve for them and as one of our politicians Fred Mifflin said speaking for the people of   
Newfoundland: "The mere mention of Beaumont-Hamel can still break our hearts."   
  
And its true. In the process of checking out the numbers and events of Beaumont Hamel there  
were several times when I sat at my computer with tears running down my face.   
  
Thank you to all the Newfoundlanders who fought in WWI. At the time we weren't a Canadian  
province but a country all our own. And they defended it well.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Traditions and Memories  
by M. Edison  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
July first dawned like any other in Cascade. That is, people got out of bed and looked out the  
windows, hoping the mild rain would let up by lunch. In one Cascade home however, July first's  
arrival held a much more solemn meaning.   
  
Detective Anne Marie Langdon awoke early. Showered, dressed then went to her friend's bedroom   
door and knocked softly.   
  
"Up yet?" She called out.   
  
A mumbled, "Yeah" was Jo's only response.   
  
Satisfied her friend was awake, the female Sentinel went down to the kitchen and started   
breakfast.   
  
While she scrambled some eggs with one hand, she reached out with the other and grabbed the   
portable phone.   
  
She pressed the speed dial then shouldered the phone, waiting patiently for one of the guys to  
pick up.   
  
"Ellison." Jim's voice, despite the early hour, was crisp and devoid of sleep.  
  
"Good morning to you too." Annie couldn't help teasing. "Is Rip Van Winkle conscious yet?"   
  
"Listen for yourself." Jim responded, his voice amused.   
  
Her hearing was easily able to pick up on the clicking of laptop keys and Blair's running  
commentary to himself.   
  
A small smile graced her features. "What on earth is he doing with a computer this early?"   
  
"Researching Canada and Beaumont Hamel." Jim responded. "He's been at it for an hour now. Woke  
me up actually." He mock-grumbled.   
  
Annie chuckled slightly. "So, is he planning a trip to Europe to see the real site yet?"   
  
"Don't encourage him." He countered dryly. "When will you be coming over?"   
  
"As soon as Sleeping Beauty deigns to come downstairs and eat her breakfast." Her tone was   
filled with the tolerant amusement Jim was more than familiar with. The kind reserved for Guides  
who kept very erratic sleep schedules.   
  
"Half an hour then?"  
  
"Thereabouts." Annie agreed, hearing Jo moving around on the upper level of the brewery.   
  
"See you then."   
  
------  
  
"Food." Jo said huskily, walking into the kitchen. "Gimme food." She paused. "Coffee..gimme coffee."   
  
"Ah the tiny tyrant awakes." Her friend joked, spooning some of the eggs onto one plate then the other.   
  
Looking, quite fuzzy around the edges, the doctor shuffled over to the table and sat down.   
  
She rolled her eyes and carried one of the plates over and set it before her Guide. "Eat. We've  
got a fairly long drive ahead of us."   
  
Jo nodded then yawned. "Call Jim yet?"   
  
"Yeah. Blair's been up for an hour." She smiled slightly. "He's researching Beaumont Hamel."   
  
"My boyfriend...the anthropologist." She yawned again. "Always the compulsive researcher.  
I swear, its an addiction with him."   
  
Annie chuckled. "True enough. Now eat!" She admonished. "I'll go make sure Riley does his   
business."   
  
--------  
  
After hanging up the phone, Jim turned and walked over to his Guide.   
  
"So, what'd you find out?" He asked, leaning over Blair's shoulder.   
  
"Um, numbers or events?"   
  
"Both." He answered, dropping into a chair next to him.   
  
"Ok." Blair leaned forward and tapped a key, scrolling down to a particular section of text.   
"Umm..." he read it over for a moment then nodded. "Yeah, On the first of July 1916, was the   
beginning of the Battle of The Somme and it was the first engagement that the Royal Newfoundland  
Regiment fought in France. And the worst. They were one of four battalions in the 29th Division's  
88 Brigade."   
  
"Not that much detail Chief."   
  
He raised an eyebrow. "You wanted both remember? Anyway, the 87th Brigade was cut down pretty  
quickly and the 88th was ordered over the top." He frowned. "Ah man...that was so not good. They   
had to cross 230 metres of open space before they even reached their OWN front line. A bunch of   
them got cut down before they ever reached No Man's Land and the ones that did barely survived...  
most didn't." Blair lifted pain-filled eyes to Jim's. "It only took a half-hour for it to be  
declared a failure. They didn't stand a chance Jim."   
  
Ellison nodded. "I know Chief." He sighed. "They were probably very young, not trained the best  
that they could be and inexperienced. That was a big problem back then. They were so desperate   
to get troops in the field they sent kids with little training out to do the jobs of soldiers  
twice their age with twice their experience."   
  
"Yeah." He looked morose. "The battle wasn't even supposed to take place that early. They weren't  
ready. It says here that the British Commander in Chief, Haig, didn't like the timing or the   
location but the French were being pounded by the Germans at Verdun and they were begging the  
British to move up the offensive and take some pressure off of them. Prevent the Germans from   
sending reinforcements to Verdun. And while Haig knew there was no real strategic value in the   
Somme he knew they did need to take pressure off the French."   
  
"What was the actual number of casualties?" Jim asked, diverting his attention back to the NFLD  
regiment.   
  
"Umm...801 men went into battle. Only..." A swallow. "Only 68 men answered the roll call for  
uninjured the next day."   
  
He winced. Even considering the lack of training in that day, 68 men uninjured? Out of 801...it  
was a massacre. "How many injured?"   
  
Blair consulted his laptop again. "386 wounded, 255 dead and 91 unaccounted for."   
  
"346 men." He sighed heavily. "In a half an hour..."   
  
"That totally sucks man," Blair said standing. "No wonder this is such a big deal for Annie and  
Jo." He smiled slightly. "Tone down your hearing Spock, I'm going to the bathroom."   
  
The Sentinel rolled his eyes. "Oh right. Like I've got nothing better to do than listen to you  
in the bathroom." He countered dryly, recognizing Blair's subtle attempt to lighten their mood.   
  
"You don't."   
  
"Very funny Seinfeld." Jim said, standing and carrying his coffee cup to the sink.   
  
He chuckled and headed for the bathroom.   
  
Not too much later, Annie and Jo arrived.   
  
After a brief quarrel over who would sit where - Jo had called shotgun but Jim wanted to sit   
up front with Annie. The two sparred back and forth until 'Mom' (namely Annie) noted calmly,   
that sitting in the back seat meant Jo could snuggle with Blair - they were on their way.   
"So, where are we going exactly?" Blair asked, adjusting his arm so Jo could rest her head  
against his chest.   
  
Annie glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "Vancouver. It's got the best Canada Day  
celebrations in B.C. plus the West Vancouver Memorial Arch is there."   
  
"The what?" Jim asked, looking over at her.   
  
"The West Vancouver Memorial Arch." She repeated. "Its for casualties of both world wars.   
Technically the Arch was put up for residents of West Vancouver who died but I don't think   
they'd mind if a couple Newfoundlanders paid respects to their dead as well."   
  
"Uh...Annie?" He looked slightly uncomfortable. "There's more to you wanting to visit this arch  
than just honouring the Regiment isn't there?"   
  
She sighed. "You know Blair, you're way too perceptive to be hanging out with cops." She noted  
ruefully. "Yeah. Its personal too. When I was a little girl, growing up in NFLD, my grandfather  
would take me to St. John's every Canada Day. First we'd go to Signal Hill for dawn celebrations   
then he'd take me to one of the parks. Bowering Park I think. It had a monument there. A Caribou.  
That was the badge of the Regiment. We'd go there and put some flowers down and then Gramps would  
buy me an ice cream and he'd tell me stories about his older brother John who died at Beaumont   
Hamel."   
  
"Your Great Uncle." Jim stated, nodding. "He was in the picture you showed me the other day."   
  
She nodded. "Yeah that was him. Anyway Gramps and I did that every year, it was tradition. And  
when Jo was old enough that her parents would let her go, she went with us."   
  
"Even when Annie and I were living in Toronto we'd still take that week off to go home and make  
that trip with him." Jo added, her voice wistful.   
  
"You didn't do that this year?" Blair said, the question in his voice evident.   
  
"No." Annie's voice was infinitely sad. "Gramps died a month before we moved to Cascade."   
  
"Sorry." He said contritely. "I shouldn't've asked."   
  
"Its ok Blair."   
  
They fell silent then for a few moments.   
  
"So, how'd you convince Simon to let us have the day off?" Jim asked.   
  
She tossed a sneaky grin at him. "I didn't do a thing."   
  
He raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Nothing?"   
  
"Absolutely nothing." She nodded, flicking on the windshield cleaner and the wipers in order to  
remove a squished bug from her view. She hesitated for a moment then grinned wickedly.  
"Jo talked to him."   
  
"That's not playing fair." Jim decided with a twinge of sympathy for the Captain.   
  
"Well it all depends on the rules of engagement doesn't it?" Annie said sweetly.   
  
"So, Half-pint," He said, looking back at her. "How'd you convince Simon to give us the day off."   
  
"It was easy." Jo answered. "All I had to do was remind Simon that Annie and I were Canadians  
and it was our national holiday, and then there was the fact we'd just wrapped up two cases and  
deserved a little time off."   
  
"What about me?" He questioned. "I'm American."   
  
"Believe me, we've noticed." She countered cheekily, then continued on with her explanation.   
"Since we all get Sunday off cause it's the fourth anyway and not just our regular day off I   
asked him to schedule your regular day off today and schedule Sunday as a special holiday." She  
finished with a grin and a sigh. "It was nothing really."   
  
"Annie, you got a hair pin?"   
  
"Why?" Annie asked, suspicious.   
  
"I need it to deflate that ego of hers. If it gets any bigger it'll suffocate Sandburg." J  
  
"Hey!" Jo protested giving his seat a little kick. "Play nice."   
  
"Like you said kid, I'm American." Jim grinned slyly. "We're known for playing to win not   
playing nice."   
  
"Don't say it!" Annie called back to Jo who was obviously biting her tongue.   
  
"Say what?"   
  
"Sorry, this once's too good to pass up." Jo responded then grinned gleefully at Jim. "You didn't  
do much winning during that little invasion attempt."   
  
"Invasion attempt?" He looked innocent but Jo wasn't having any of it.   
  
"Yeah. Early 19th century, the Americans tried to invade and we sent you packin'!"   
  
"Oh that!" He waved a dismissive hand. "Just a little border dispute."   
  
"Nooo...I don't think so Jim!" Blair interrupted, shifting into teacher-mode.   
  
"Sandburg," He smiled wryly. "Its our day off no lectures please."   
  
"I wasn't going to lecture."   
  
The Sentinels Jim grinned at each other. "Heart rate." They chorused, still grinning.   
  
Blair looked down at his chest. "Traitor."   
  
If there were any Sentinels within earshot of Annie's jeep, as it drove along the interstate,  
would've been puzzled at the sudden burst of laughter that filled it.   
  
------  
  
"You know what?" Blair looked out the jeep's window at the Vancouver skyline.   
  
"What?" The others chorused.   
  
"Vancouver looks a lot like Cascade." He informed them.   
  
Jo leaned past him and grinned. "You're right. It does!"   
  
"Kids." Annie teased. "Always noticing the silliest things."   
  
"Well it does!" They protested in unison.   
  
Jim shook his head then laughed when Jo's voice called out plaintively. "Are we there yet??"   
  
"Sometimes I swear I feel like a single parent." Annie murmured to him, a devilish glint in her   
eye. "Thank heaven I don't have to change her diaper."   
  
Twin looks of confusion crossed Blair and Jo's face when Ellison suddenly snorted with laughter.   
  
Suspicious they looked at Annie but the female Sentinel was studiously checking the street lights.   
  
They raised an eyebrow at each other then relaxed back against the seat.   
  
--------  
  
It didn't take long for Annie to find Marine Drive in West Vancouver and when she did it was   
only a matter of finding Block 1900.   
  
"Woah." Blair said quietly looking up at the arch. "Its beautiful."   
  
The others all nodded in agreement.   
  
Annie looked at a couple wreaths lying against the arch; stepping forward she added hers then   
crouched down to examine the others. "Looks like we weren't the only Newfoundlanders who came   
here today." She noted to Jo.   
  
The young Guide crouched down next to her Sentinel and the two women quietly read the names on  
the wreaths.   
  
By the time they stood again, there were tears in their eyes.   
  
Blair and Jim stood nearby, just watching. There was an air of grief and reverence surrounding   
the two women that they didn't dare disturb.   
  
"Incredible." Blair whispered.   
  
"What?" Jim asked, his voice low.   
  
"Eighty-three years since it happened and they still grieve like it was yesterday." He watched   
as Jo's hand crept up to wipe a way a tear tracing its way down Annie's cheek. "Jo told me   
Newfoundland is an incredibly tight-knit province. I don't think I realized how tight till   
today."   
  
Jim nodded. "Know what you mean Chief."   
  
They watched as the two women turned toward them.   
  
"We're ready to go." Jo announced.   
  
"Home?"   
  
  
"Nope." Annie shook her head. "To lunch then one of the parties."   
  
Blair was confused. "But I.."   
  
"Thought that all Newfoundlanders do on Memorial day is grieve and remember?" Jo   
grinned. "Blair, those boys that died at Beaumont Hamel would be the first ones   
to tell you to enjoy yourself." She hooked her arm through his. "Now lets go!   
I'm dyin' for a glass of Screech."   
  
Ellison groaned. "Screech?"   
  
"Uh huh." Annie nodded. "I could go for a small glass myself." She smiled up at   
her counterpart. "Of course if I do that means you've got to drive us home."   
  
Jim nodded.   
  
Alcohol and Sentinels really weren't a good combination. And Screech and   
Sentinels was definitely a bad combination.   
  
As they followed Blair and Jo back to the car their ears picked up on Jo   
enthusiastically explaining 'Face painting' to Blair.   
  
"Face painting?" Jim wondered, looking at Annie.   
  
"Face painting." She agreed then grinned. "Y'know Jim, you'd look really cute   
with a maple leaf painted on your cheek."   
  
"Oh no!" He held up his hands and shook his head. "No way! No face painting!"   
  
"Aw..C'mon Jim!" Jo turned to look at him. "It's a part of the tradition!"   
  
"No face painting!" He protested. "I am not walking around today with a leaf painted  
on my face."   
  
Jo and Annie shared an evil grin.   
  
"Yes you will." They decided.   
  
"Give it up Jim." Blair advised. "After all, it's a part of their cultural   
celebrations and if we're going to participate in those celebrations we've got   
to let them do it."   
  
"Oh brother..."   
  
"Jo," Annie said thoughtfully. "You did remember to load a fresh roll of film   
into the camera didn't you?"   
  
"Yep. And I've got three spare rolls and a backload of batteries just in case!"   
Jo announced gleefully, twisting the knife a little.   
  
Finis 


	3. Heart To Heart

TITLE: Heart To Heart  
AUTHOR: M. Edison   
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)  
CATEGORY: AU. Post Ep.  
RATING: PG  
SPOILERS: Spoilers for TSbyBS  
SUMMARY: Moving on  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of The Sentinel belong to me but Annie   
& Jo Do  
  
---------------  
Heart to Heart  
by M. Edison  
---------------  
  
Quiet.   
  
Jim exhaled slowly, enjoying the peace and quiet the empty loft provided.   
  
After the chaos generated by Blair's dissertation, the Sentinel needed the solitude.   
  
He took another swallow of beer and closed his eyes, relaxing back against the couch.   
  
No sooner had he done so, then the silence, that surrounded him, was broken by a growl.   
  
Opening one eye he saw a cougar pacing back and forth in front of the balcony doors.   
  
Annie was coming.   
  
And, judging from the big cat's behavior, the lady Sentinel was at least mildly annoyed.   
  
Of course, with her temper, there was no such thing as mild.   
  
Rising to his feet, he abandoned his beer and walked over to the door. Opening it, he found  
himself looking into the very peeved face of his lover.   
  
"We need to talk." She practically growled, sweeping past him into the loft.   
  
"Oookkayyy..." Jim said, closing the door. "About what?" He inquired, despite the fact he  
already knew the answer.   
  
She rolled her eyes as she hung up her long coat. "About last night's episode of Friends." She   
cracked. "C'mon Jim, do you really have to ask?"   
  
"No." He responded simply. "So, you're gonna read me the riot act about how I treated Blair,  
right?"   
  
"Wrong." She countered promptly. she shook her head then, sending her blonde locks swirling.   
"Honestly, Jim, I love you but sometimes you can be as dense as a post." She smiled at him   
slightly before glancing out at the skyline. "I keep forgetting you and Blair haven't been   
Sentinel and Guide as long as Jo and I have."   
  
"Makes a difference?" He asked, sitting on the couch.   
  
Annie sat next to him, tucking her long legs up next to her. "Actually, yeah, it does. Either  
that, or its our gender." She tossed a sly grin at him. "But with Jo and I...we're...well...  
we're a lot more..." She bit her lower lip slightly. "Trusting of each other."   
  
He raised an eyebrow. "I trust Blair." He stated quietly.   
  
She snorted slightly. "Really? Could've fooled me." She sighed heavily. "Sorry, it's just...  
well, you and Blair are very important to Jo and me and we hate seeing you guys like this."   
  
"Like what?" Jim prompted, one hand tracing a pattern on her leg.  
  
"Things are strained, Jim." She stated softly. "I mean, we all understand why you reacted the  
way you did, when Blair's thesis got out."   
  
He frowned. "And why did I react the way I did?" He challenged slightly, feeling his defences  
going up.   
  
"Relax, Jim, I'm not judging you." She assured him, feeling the tension in his voice. "Besides,  
you can't say that you don't lash out when you're threatened or confused. You know you do, hell,  
I do it to. But the difference between us is that, when the crisis passes, I talk to Jo about it.  
You prefer to act like it never happened." Annie watched as Jim stood and walked to the balcony   
doors. "And that's where you need to smarten up." She finished briskly.   
  
"Smarten up?" He snapped, looking back at her. "And how do I do that, oh Wise one?"   
  
She groaned. "Try actually listening to me for once." She countered, her voice belying some of  
the hurt she was feeling. "You're hearing the words but you're not listening to them. Do you   
think Jo and I haven't had this problem before?" The female Sentinel stood and moved to join her  
counterpart. "We're Sentinels, Jim. And the closest person in our lives is our Guide. They're our  
best friends. Closer than siblings. That's something we both agree on, right?"   
  
Jim grudgingly nodded. "Right."   
  
"Well, do you also agree that Sentinels are, at least to some degree, very primal and instinctual?"  
She continued. "In a lot of ways, we behave like the animals that our spirit guides are."   
  
He hesitated but nodded.   
  
"And when we're hurt, we do what any animal does, lash out at anyone who gets too close. Problem  
is, the person who's getting to close is usually our Guide." Annie dropped her gaze. "When my   
senses first came online, I was in my late teens, Jo was even younger, and trust me, that is not   
a good age to be dealing with hyperactive senses. It was a very stressful period. Jo was working  
on instinct, trying to help me, and most times she got it right, but there were times when she   
didn't. And when that happened it usually resulted in me experiencing some sort of pain. And   
naturally I'd lash out. At first, Jo was very understanding. She knew I was even more scared   
than she was and that's where my anger was coming from. A fear motivated response. But   
understanding it didn't mean that the hurt, generated by me lashing out, was any less severe."   
She took a deep, steadying breath, the guilt brought on by the memories was so intense Jim   
could see it in her eyes. "It got to a point where she looked at me and said flat out, that if   
I didn't stop attacking her every time something went wrong, she'd leave. It wasn't something   
she wanted to do but it would have been something she'd have to do for the sake of her own   
emotional state. And Jim, trust me, if you keep lashing out the way you do with Blair. The same   
thing is going to happen to you two." She reached out and placed her hand against his chest,   
feeling his heart beating beneath her palm. "Blair is an amazingly strong man but he does have  
a breaking point. And trust me, he's not that far from it right now. This last year has been   
hell on the lot of us, but its been worse for you and Blair. First you almost lost him to Alex's  
insanity, then, just as you two were getting back on track after that, the whole thing with Blair's  
dissertation exploded..."   
  
"Annie..." He began, but she shook her head.   
  
"No, I'm not done yet." She informed him seriously. "He came to me, you know, after the publisher  
sent those excerpts to the press. To apologize..."   
  
"Apologize?" Jim frowned. "Why?"   
  
She smiled. "What? You think there wasn't a chapter or two in there about female Sentinels? Me  
in particular? My superior's, superiors, back in Toronto got wind of the dissertation and they  
were threatening to pull me back there."   
  
His frown deepened. "You never told me that."   
  
Her smile took on a wry note. "Would you have even heard me if I had? You were rolling on  
instinct then, Jim. And, unfortunately for us, those instincts are slightly skewed."   
  
"How's that?"   
  
"You expect everyone around you to betray you." Annie stated calmly, her voice devoid of any  
emotion save concern. "You've been burned in the past so you consistently look for the same   
betrayal from the people you know now. Myself included."   
  
He exhaled loudly. "Annie..."   
  
"Its ok, Jim." She assured him. "We understand it and we're willing to put up with it for two   
reasons. One, we love you. And two, we're not exactly saints ourselves." She sighed again.   
"Heaven knows, I've got a bit of a temper."   
  
He snorted slightly. "A bit?" He asked incredulous. "A guy copped a feel once and you broke his   
arm in four places!"  
  
She shot a mischievous grin at her lover. "Instinct." She shrugged. "He's lucky he didn't end   
up with a voice like Mickey Mouse."   
  
He shuddered. "Sometimes you scare me."   
  
"And sometimes you drive me crazy." She countered. "Blair told me what you said, y'know."   
  
"Said?"   
  
"The little speech about the brass ring?" She raised one slender eyebrow. "Jim, you practically  
accused him of orchestrating the whole thing for the publicity!"   
  
He flinched slightly. The conversation echoing inside his head. "I..." He exhaled loudly. "I   
screwed up. You think I don't know that?" He demanded of her. "But, look at what I was going   
through!"   
  
"The same thing I was going through! The same thing Blair was going through! The same thing Jo   
was going through!" She snapped back. "You weren't the only one who got blind sided by that! For  
god's sake, Jim! We were all stressed. Blair was practically beside himself over it! You saw   
that when he gave that press conference." Annie paused, sucking in a steadying breath. "Tell me  
something, Jim." She began her voice low. "Was the man on that press conference the type of   
person who would exploit his friend's gift for profit? For a reputation?" She reached out to cup   
his cheek. "He's your best friend, Jim. Your Jim. For all intents and purposes, he's your other   
half. Just as Jo is mine. Without them, we aren't Sentinels. We may be the ones with the  
heightened senses but they're the one who give us our soul. A port in the storm, so-to-speak."   
She exhaled. "I'm not saying that you're completely to blame for everything that happened, we   
all reacted badly, but someone has to take the first step in this situation, if it keeps going  
as is, things are going to get much worse than they already are." She walked across the loft to  
retrieve her coat. "Talk to Blair, Jim. You both have things you need to get off your chest.   
Whether you end up screaming at each other or not, you two need to talk. Take it from me,   
screaming is a world better than nothing at all." She slipped into her coat and walked back to   
him. "Ok?"   
  
Jim sighed heavily then nodded. "Ok." He gently lifted her long hair out from under her collar.   
"Where did you get so smart?"   
  
"Jo." Annie responded promptly. "She's been pounding psychology into my head ever since she   
started taking the stupid course."   
  
He laughed and shook his head, before kissing her. "Dinner tomorrow night?" He asked.   
  
She nodded, then spoke, her voice practically a purr. "And dessert."   
  
"You're insatiable."  
  
She laughed. "Blame it on those Sentinel instincts of mine." She shrugged. "As Blair would say,   
'it's about ancient primal mating rituals.' Or something like that."   
  
"Primal mating rituals? Why do I have the feeling you and Blair have had some...interesting   
discussions."   
  
"Cause we have." Annie grinned. "I'll see you later," She informed him, walking for the door.   
  
Jim watched her go, then spoke again. "Yeah, sure."   
  
-------  
  
When Blair returned to the loft that evening, he paused in front of the door, Jo's lecture  
ringing in his ears.   
  
"Talk to him, Blair." She'd urged. "He's in just as much pain over this as you are. Maybe more.  
You know how Sentinels like to beat themselves up over every mistake. Imagined or otherwise.   
You two need to get this out in the open or its going to destroy you."   
  
He had to admit, Jo had a point. He and Jim had been dancing around it for a month. It was the  
big conversation that they didn't have. And it hung between them every time they were in a room  
together.   
  
He blinked in surprise when Jim opened the door.   
  
"You comin' in or what, Chief?" The Sentinel asked, a glimmer or wry humor in his eyes.   
  
"Yeah." He managed a grin. "Spaced out on myself."   
  
Jim chuckled slightly. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to do that?"   
  
"You are, we must've mixed it up again."   
  
"So, how'd things go on the range?" Jim inquired, his gaze on the floor.   
  
Blair hesitated slightly. "I'm not a half-bad shot." He joked. "Course, I'm no Sentinel." He   
shuddered. "I just hate having to shoot at the heart. Even if it is a paper dummy..." He grinned   
over at Jim. "I mean, for all I know, he could have a paper wife and six paper kids somewhere."   
  
The other man rolled his eyes and aimed a swat at the back of his friend's head. "Smart ass."   
  
"And a paper dog." Blair added, latching on to the familiar camaraderie like it was a lifeline.   
"The poor guy. It's a bad way to make a living. Getting shot full of holes every day."   
  
Jim shook his head. "You're some piece of work, Chief."   
  
"Naturally." He shrugged. "So, what's for dinner?"   
  
"I have no idea." Jim countered. "It's your turn to cook."   
  
He slapped his forehead. "Aww..Man...I knew I was forgetting something."   
  
"Order some Chinese." Ellison suggested. "We could do with a little Egg Foo Young."   
  
"You mean you could do with a little Egg Foo Young." Blair countered pointedly. "One of   
these days, Jim, you're gonna have to realize that Chinese food is not one of the major   
food groups. Right after beer that is."   
  
"Watch it, Sandburg." He warned with a grin. "Last thing I want to do is have to kill you  
tonight." He gestured at the floor. "I just mopped the floor this afternoon."   
  
"Imagine my relief." He said sarcastically, picking up the phone.   
  
Jim fell silent as Blair finished dialling and held the phone to his ear. Someone answered a  
minute later and he placed their usual order.   
  
It took only a minute for him to finish and hang up.   
  
"Chief," The taller man began, his voice serious. "Annie came by this afternoon."   
  
"What? Something wrong with Jo?" Instant worry flashed into the younger man's eyes, completely   
forgetting he'd only talked to his girlfriend a half hour before.   
  
"She's fine. Annie's fine." Jim assured his friend. "But they are worried about us."   
  
"Us?" He did his best to sound confused. "Why?"   
  
He frowned slightly. "Because one of us hasn't ended up in the hospital for a month. Why else?"  
He walked over to where Blair stood, next to the counter. "We need to talk, Chief. About the   
whole thing with the dissertation."   
  
"Jimmm..." Blair groaned. "I thought that was over with."   
  
"It is. And it isn't, the whole situation may be fine with everyone else but there are some  
things we need to talk about. We both said and did things that were coming from instinct not  
the truth." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the kitchen's island.   
"Annie flat out told me one of us needs to take the first step and she was right. The longer we  
leave this the worse its going to get." He sighed. "Chief, I was in a bad place during that whole  
thing but I did say things that I know now, and I knew then, weren't true. And whether you need   
to hear them or not I need to say them." The Sentinel sighed and moved to the fridge to retrieve  
a couple beers. "I basically accused you of orchestrating the whole thing for profit and..." He   
passed one bottle to Blair then looked down at his own. "It wasn't right. I knew you'd never do   
that...but..."   
  
"You were scared." Blair nodded. "You weren't the only one, Man. Part of me wanted to hide out  
under my bed and never come out."   
  
He couldn't help smile at the image Blair's sentence produced. "Somehow I don't think Jo would  
go for that."   
  
The curly-haired man rolled his eyes. "Cute, Jim." he sighed. "It did hurt when you said that but  
I also knew why you were saying that. And I knew you needed to say it. Maybe not those words but  
you needed to express what you were feeling somehow. I'd rather that then you suppressing  
everything and having it explode on someone else later. I mean, I know none of this would've   
ever happened if I'd just stuck a stupid password on the file. But, maybe somewhere inside me,   
I wanted Naomi to at least read it..."   
  
The Sentinel shook his head. "No. I don't think so. You're not that kind of person, Chief. You   
knew what publishing the dissertation would do. At least, while it still had my name plastered   
all over it." He reached out to grip his friend's shoulder. "It was a honest mistake. Naomi   
surprised you, you weren't thinking about passwords and security then. You were thinking about  
your mom." His grin turned wry. "She does have a talent for that. She sweeps into a room and  
everything else gets forgotten."   
  
Blair slanted a glance at him. "Jim...she's my mom!"   
  
He chuckled and held up a hand. "Relax, Chief, Annie's not that good with sharing."   
  
"Neither are you." Blair countered with a grin. "If looks could kill, that patrolman from  
yesterday would be in the morgue right now."   
  
Jim looked slightly miffed. "He was staring at her." He said by way of explanation.   
  
"Men tend to do that when there's a beautiful woman around." Blair returned patiently. "I've   
seen you do it."   
  
"Yeah, but Annie's mine." Jim said somewhat petulantly.   
  
"Man, if she heard that she'd knock you six ways from Sunday."   
  
Jim grinned. "Which is why you won't tell her, right?"   
  
He pretended to consider that. "Wellll...She is my friend."   
  
"Chief..."  
  
"Ok. You can live. This time." Blair pointed a finger. "But no more possessive, macho statements   
about Annie, got it?"   
  
"Yes, Sir!" Jim snapped off a quick salute which brought another laugh from his friend.   
  
The duo laughed for a few moments then sobered.   
  
"Chief, are you sure about this?" He asked suddenly.   
  
"About what?" Blair queried, already knowing the answer.   
  
"The academy. Learning how to fire a gun. This can't be what you signed on for." He gazed at his  
friend with a worried look on his face. "Don't lie, Blair. I don't want you doing this just to   
please us. We're all more than proud of you already." Jim swallowed heavily. Where had the lump  
in his throat come from?   
  
Blair could easily see his friend's discomfort. Jim really wasn't that comfortable talking about  
emotional subjects and yet he was obviously determined to talk about this one. There was  
something about that act that struck a deep chord in him.   
  
'Watch it, Sandburg,' He warned himself. 'You keep thinking like that and you'll end up hugging   
Jim.'   
  
"Its not being a cop that bothers me," He began slowly. "I've practically been one for almost  
four years...It's the thought that if I learn how to use a gun, I may end up having to...to...  
shoot somebody. Maybe even kill them. I'm not sure I can do that." The young man frowned. "But  
at the same time, I don't want to have to sit in the truck while you go into some building where   
you could get killed. Its not right. I mean, I'm supposed to be guiding you and it's in the job  
description to watch a your back. Can't very well do that from the truck, now can I?"   
  
"True. So, you want to stay in the academy?"   
  
He hesitated then nodded. "I'll go through the academy but I'm not sure I want to carry a gun at   
all times."   
  
"That's what the glove box is for." Jim joked, feeling proud at the younger man's willingness to  
answer truthfully. He paused, then felt his face grow solemn. "The last thing I want is you  
changing." He smiled wryly. "I'd rather a neo-hippie, witch doctor than a grim-faced, short-haired  
cadet."   
  
He laughed, hooking a curl away from his face. "Is that why Simon called the head of the academy  
and said," he deepened his voice to mimic the captain. " 'Under no circumstances is Blair  
Sandburg's hair to be cut.'"   
  
Jim started laughing. "I take it you heard about that?"   
  
"Uh, huh." Blair's head bobbed. "His secretary told me. She was wondering what made me so   
special, that the captain of Major Crime was calling, specifically about my hair,"   
  
"What'd you tell her?" Jim questioned, spotting the mischief glinting in his friend's eyes.   
  
"Not much, just that I had a hard ass for a partner and you'd make life hell for Simon is he   
didn't call." Blair said, quickly dodging out of Jim's reach.   
  
"You didn't?"   
  
"Sorry, did."   
  
"You didn't mention said partner's name, did you?" Jim queried plaintively.   
  
"Well, no," He began, the other man starting to sigh in relief but his relief was short-lived.   
"Not until she asked who my partner was, anyway." He grinned. "She wasn't all that surprised to  
find out it was you."   
  
"Was it Ellen?" Jim questioned wearily. "Ellen Alexander?"   
  
He nodded, his grin widening.   
  
Jim sighed, remembering the eccentric secretary. "She still have the wacked out beehive with all  
the pens and pencils sticking out of it?"   
  
Blair grimaced. "It is the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life. I swear, it defies gravity.  
How the heck does she wash her hair?"   
  
"The guys used to joke that it was a wig and that she had a stand next to her bed to put it on."  
Jim chuckled. "Does it still shake like mad when she walks fast."   
  
"Oh yeah, like a weeble."   
  
"A what?" Jim looked over at him.   
  
"A weeble. You know, the egg shaped toys that rock back and forth when you poke 'em." Blair   
looked incredulous. "You mean you never had a weeble?"   
  
He shook his head. "Sorry, Chief, I was too busy with my trucks and playing cowboys and Indians."   
  
Blair snickered. "You played cowboys and Indians?"   
  
"Yes, something wrong?"   
  
"Oh no." Blair shook his head, grinning. "For some reason I thought you'd play Sentinels and   
Cowboys. You know, protecting the tribe from marauding cowboys."   
  
He rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I really worry about you, Chief."   
  
"What about the rest of the time?"  
  
"The rest of the time I'm scared of you." Jim grinned. He paused then and tilted his head   
slightly, listening. "Chinese is here."   
  
"You pay, I'll get the dishes."   
  
"No, you pay while I get the dishes." He said, pushing the younger man toward the door.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"Your night to cook, Sandburg, so therefore you're the one who pays for the Chinese."   
  
"Somehow the logic of that statement seems just a tad shaky."   
  
"Like Ellen's beehive." Jim agreed. "But I'm bigger than you so you don't get a choice."   
  
"Oh yeah," He countered, fishing in his backpack for his wallet. "Not if I call Annie and Jo.  
Three on one? You'd be the one without the choice."   
  
Jim chuckled. "Not if Annie sided with me."   
  
"She wouldn't." Blair shot an evil grin at his Sentinel. "She likes me better."   
  
He shook his head and went for the plates.   
  
----------  
  
The next morning Blair swung by the brewery before Annie and Jo left for work.   
  
"Morning, handsome." Annie greeted him, swinging the door open before he had a   
chance to knock.   
  
"Morning yourself." He responded with a grin. "New earrings?"   
  
She tugged on one earring in an unconscious gesture. "Yeah. Like 'em?"   
  
He grinned at her. "They look fantastic." He gestured at her outfit as he   
passed. "And so do you, by the way. So, where's my favourite doctor?"   
  
"Upstairs." She responded, turning and walking into the kitchen. "Want some coffee?"   
  
"Sure." Blair answered, following her.   
  
"So," She poured the coffee and turned to face him. "Did you and Jim talk?"   
  
"Yeah, a little." He nodded. "Mostly about me and the academy, staying in it I mean.   
And he apologized for the stuff he said when the thing with the dissertation went down."   
  
"Apologized?" She smiled. "You mean, said it in a roundabout way where he said it without  
really saying it?"   
  
"Yeah, that's it." He added some cream and sugar to his coffee then looked over at Annie. "Hey,  
Annie..."   
  
"Yeah?" She said over her shoulder as she fished in the fridge for the fresh milk.   
  
"Did you ever have a weeble?"  
  
"A weeble?" The blonde turned with a wide smile on her face. "Of course! I loved it. Why'd you  
ask?"   
  
"Well, Jim never had one." He looked slightly sad at the thought. "Every kid should have a   
weeble. And since he didn't...I was wondering..."   
  
"We should." She agreed. "Now, go get Jo up, she's going to be late if she doesn't hustle."   
  
-----------  
  
"So what time for dinner?" Annie inquired of Jim that evening as they walked into the parking  
garage.   
  
"Around Seven. Your place or mine?" Jim asked, pulling his keys out of his pocket.   
  
"Yours. Blair and Jo have commandeered the brewery." Annie sighed ruefully.   
  
Jim nodded. "See you at seven then." He said, dropping a kiss on her lips.   
  
"Oh, Jim?" She called, remembering Blair's message. "You don't need to pick Blair up. He caught  
a ride with Jo."   
  
He nodded before climbing into the truck, completely missing the evil grin that danced across   
her face.   
  
-----------  
  
"See you later!" Jo called out to Blair as he got out of her car and headed for the loft.   
"Lemme know what he says!"   
  
He nodded back. "Sure! See you in a couple hours!" He waved before disappearing into the loft's  
building.   
  
----------  
  
When Jim arrived home he could hear Blair moving around inside the loft, obviously getting ready  
for his date with Jo.   
  
Smiling at the younger man's eagerness, the Sentinel reached out for the doorknob only to have  
Blair open it before he could.   
  
"Hey Jim! You're late!" The other man announced with a broad smile. "I'm usually the late one  
not you, hey, have you seen my black sweater? The one with the grey stripe? I could've sworn I  
washed it yesterday." His friend apparently forgotten, Blair moved off into his bedroom where   
the sounds of rustling could be heard.   
  
Jim laughed and shook his head. "Try the laundry basket." He suggested. "That's where you put   
it after you ironed it." He called out, shrugging out of his leather jacket.   
  
Blair reappeared in the doorway and nodded. "Right. Now, where's the laundry basket?"   
  
He pointed to the object in question which sat next to the Blair's bedroom door.   
  
Sandburg smiled sheepishly. "Right." He picked up the basket and ducked into his room again.   
  
After snagging a beer from the fridge, Jim went up to his room to change his clothes.   
  
When he reached the top of the stairs, he stopped dead in his tracks.   
  
"What the..." He trailed off, staring at the oval shaped object sitting on his bed.   
  
It was a brightly colored clown.   
  
It was a weeble.   
  
"Sandburg?" He called down.   
  
"Yes, Jim?" Came the innocent reply as the young man climbed the stairs.   
  
"What is that thing?" Jim gestured to the weeble knowing Blair was right behind him.   
  
"That, James," His friend informed him seriously. "Is a weeble. A toy."   
  
"What is it doing on my bed?"  
  
"Its your weeble."  
  
"My weeble."   
  
"Your weeble." He echoed giving his friend a little push up the stairs. "They're very good for  
expressing any negative emotions. You punch him, he bounces back." Blair grinned evilly.   
"Consider him my stand in."   
  
Jim chuckled. "I haven't punched you."   
  
"Yet. Did throw me into a wall once though, Joe Friday."   
  
"Thanks, Chief." Jim walked over and poked the weeble which bobbed accordingly. "This is...its   
nice." For some reason the gesture had touched the Sentinel more than he was willing to admit.   
It was sort of a signal to him. A message that everything between the friends was fine.   
  
He smiled, poking the weeble a little harder. "Y'know, Chief, this guy could definitely come in   
handy. I'll have to get a picture of you to put on here of course..."   
  
"Hey!" Blair protested. "Not a chance, Man."   
  
He laughed, tossing a companionable arm around his Guide's shoulders. "You're right, its much  
more fun torturing the real thing."  
  
"No, no torturing the Guide!" Blair ordered.   
  
"And who made up that rule?" Jim inquired.   
  
"Annie." Blair grinned, his expression clearly saying. 'Argue with that one.'   
  
"Well, far be it for me to argue with the great Anne Marie." He said, his voice full of   
mock-solemness.   
  
"She hears that one and you'll be very lonely, Detective." The curly-haired man informed him  
with a wry smile. "So, what are you going to give me to buy my silence."   
  
"Blackmail?" Jim grinned. "You've been spending too much time around me."   
  
"Well, I've been saying that for a while." He   
  
"Smart ass."  
  
"And proud of it!"  
  
The two men laughed again, their laughter a sign they were back on course. As always. Not much  
could pull a Sentinel and Guide apart. Not even the Sentinel and Guide themselves.   
  
finis 


	4. A Home For The Holidays

TITLE: A Home For The Holidays  
AUTHOR: M. Edison   
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)  
CATEGORY: AU.   
RATING: PG-13  
SPOILERS: None  
SUMMARY: Christmas 2000  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of The Sentinel belong to me but Annie   
& Jo do  
  
  
A Home For The Holidays  
by M. Edison   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
December 22, 2000   
Major Crime, Cascade Police Department   
The pen scratched across the paper as the Sentinel signed his last report.   
  
Finishing his signature, Jim flipped the file shut and looked up. "You done,   
Annie?"   
  
The female sentinel looked up. "Yeah, logging off now." Pushing away from her   
desk, Annie stood and walked over to Megan.   
  
"Hey, Meg, you're coming to the party at the Brewery, right?" The blonde smiled   
warmly at her friend. "We transplants gotta stick together."   
  
Megan, who had been battling a severe case of homesickness, smiled faintly.   
"Sure, wouldn't miss it."   
  
"Good." Jim walked up to stand behind Annie. "Wouldn't be right if you weren't there."   
  
Megan looked up at the couple and her smile widened. "Thank you."   
  
Anie leaned over to grasp the other woman's hand. "Hey, we're family. We stick together."   
  
***  
December 23, 2000   
Emergency Room, Cascade General   
  
"Doctor Barnes! Doctor Barnes!"   
  
Jo looked up from her patients reports, a frown on her pretty face. "What is it?"   
  
The young nurse skidded to a stop. "The lab..." She looked hesitant.   
  
"The lab what?" the brunette prompted, a hint of a smile reaching her face.   
  
"Well...they were... uh...They were supposed to receive a shipment of mice and..."  
The nurse trailed off and Jo felt a wave of uneasiness.   
  
"What about the mice?"   
  
"Well, a crate got misplaced. They think they got mixed up with the ER's supplies."   
  
Jo automatically looked in the direction of the supply room. "Uh oh..." Her tone turned rueful,  
as she returned her gaze to the nurse. "I just sent an intern in there to sort the new  
supplies."   
  
As if on cue, there was a distinctly girlish scream and Jo made a face. "Oops."   
Abandoning her work, the doctor raced to the supply room door and peered in the window.   
  
A giggle escaped her at the sight of the young man perched atop a chair, white mice   
(50 according to the large print on the box) scurrying around the room. "Someone better call   
housekeeping and tell 'em to bring cheese."   
  
***  
December 23, 2000   
The Brewery   
  
"Fifty white mice?" Blair snickered as Jo passed him another ornament to put on the tree.   
  
"Yep," She grinned. "You should have seen him up on that chair looking   
absolutely petrified. Who knew he had a phobia about mice?" She turned to pick   
up another ornament box as the door opened to admit Riley, the resident canine   
and Annie, the resident Sentinel.   
  
"Fifty white mice?" The lovely blonde bent over to take off Riley's leash. "No   
wonder he freaked. I'd be a touch nervous with all those little guys swarming around."   
  
Her words provided Jo a mental picture and the younger woman immediately began   
to giggle. Though he hadn't witnessed the original incident, Blair laughed as well.   
  
Watching the two laughing Guides, Annie let Riley race into the living room then   
turned to hang up her coat.   
  
"Something funny?" Arms laden with grocery bags, Jim stepped through the open door.   
  
"Me, I think, that's what you get for listening to that car instead of these   
guys." Annie took a couple of the bags and walked into the kitchen. "Stick on a   
CD guys! If we're getting ready for Christmas, it should at least *sound* like   
Christmas in here."   
  
Abandoning the Christmas tree and Blair for a moment, Jo headed for the stereo   
to turn on the power and choose a CD. Moments later, the sound of Amy Grant's   
rendition of 'Sleigh Ride' wafted through the Brewery, bringing smiles to the   
inhabitants' faces.   
  
"Thanks!"   
  
Having hung his jacket by the door, Jim picked up the remaining grocery bags and   
headed for the kitchen, keeping a cautious eye on Riley. The excited Irish   
Setter was racing from person to person and, if you weren't careful, you were   
likely to go head over heels with a little help from Riley.   
  
Jo and Blair shared a grin when Annie reappeared in the doorway, a coconut in   
hand. "Blair, why on Earth did you put *this* on the shopping list?"   
  
"A couple of your cookie recipes call for coconut." Blair grinned. "I wanted   
them to be authentic."   
  
The blonde Sentinel quirked an eyebrow. "Blair, sometimes you are a very strange man."   
  
"Sometimes?" Jim stepped up to stand behind his lover. "Try *all* the time."   
  
Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he turned to go back inside the kitchen. "Where'd   
you put the bag of mistletoe?"   
  
Blair and Jo mimicked Annie's expression of moments earlier.   
  
"You *bought* mistletoe?" Sandburg leered at the blonde. "Annie..."   
  
A cheeky grin was his answer. "Well, you're not the only one with a jones for authenticity."   
  
Ducking back into the kitchen, she avoided the pillow a laughing Jo hurled at her.   
  
***  
7:20 PM   
  
Since they had plans to spend Christmas at Annie and Jo's, Jim and Blair had   
plenty to carry over to the brewery so it took several trips to and from the   
truck before they were settled in.   
  
As they were putting the gifts under the tree, Jim and Blair noticed that their   
significant others seemed to be, well, hiding something. And, given the glint   
in their eyes, it was something good.   
  
"All right," Ellison said, straightening up. "Out with it."   
  
"Out with what?" Annie responded, her pale blonde hair and blue eyes making her   
the picture of angelic innocence.   
  
"Whatever it is that has you two looking like cats after a canary dinner." Blair   
provided, pulling Jo down onto his lap.   
  
The doctor laughed. "Oh, *that*! Where's Riley?"   
  
As if he'd heard his name the Irish Setter ran into the room, looked up at   
Annie, and barked expectantly.   
  
"AGAIN?!" The female Sentinel stared down at him in disbelief. "You've *got* to   
be kidding?! Where the hell is she putting it?!"   
  
"Who's 'she'?" Jim questioned.   
  
"Well, Santa decided to bring Riley's present early," Jo informed them. Hopping   
off Blair's lap, she turned to pull him to his feet. "C'mon, we'll show you."   
  
The two couples moved toward the kitchen and the surprise.   
  
"You've *got* to be kidding me!" Jim stared at the picture before him with   
disbelief in his eyes.   
  
"Gentlemen, meet the brewery's latest inhabitant," Jo proclaimed with a grin.   
"Riley's kitten -- CC."   
  
Blair and Jim both started to grin at the picture before them. The fully grown   
Irish Setter stood before the fridge, tail wagging, a tiny ginger kitten sitting   
between his front paws. The newcomer mewed pitifully and stared up at Annie.   
The blonde heaved a sigh and opened the fridge to get one of the small tins of   
kitten food they'd bought.   
  
"CC?" Jim turned to Jo with a curious look on his face. "What's that stand for?"   
  
"Christmas Cat." both women chorused.   
  
"We couldn't come up with anything else and we needed a name so..." Annie   
shrugged, warming the food in the microwave before setting it down in front of   
the waiting CC.   
  
"CC it was." Blair finished for her, crouching down to lightly touch the   
kitten's fur.   
  
Riley watched him warily till Annie patted him lightly on the head. "Oh give it   
up, Riley, that's Blair! He's not going to take CC away from you, for heaven's sake."   
  
"He's been like that all day. Ever since he brought her in here." Jo grinned at   
the two men. "We very quickly learned that CC isn't *our* cat, she's Riley's."   
  
Watching the kitten and dog interact, Jim shook his head. "Now I've seen   
everything. A dog with a pet...do you two do *anything* normally?"   
  
A gleeful grin from Annie was his answer. "Of course not. And you should be   
thankful. After all, if we'd gone with a fairly normal Newfoundland Christmas we   
could have gone mummering instead."   
  
"Mummering?" Jim looked confused.   
  
"Newfoundland custom." Blair explained, standing. "A group of people dress up in   
old clothes, the more ridiculous the better, and cover their faces. They then go   
from house to house for a party where people try to guess who they are."   
  
"Most towns don't do it anymore," Jo said with a sad look. "But Halley's Cove still does."   
  
At the mention of their hometown, both women shared a fond look. "It was a   
blast!" Annie noted. "I always knew who was who of course, but I'd never let on.   
More fun to let everyone else guess."   
  
"You guys'd love it." Jo reported.   
  
Jim and Annie looked toward the door and then back at their Guides.   
  
"All right, guys, shake a leg, the gang's starting to arrive." Annie grabbed a   
couple bowls of chips (and dip) and hurried out into the living room to make   
sure everything was ready.   
  
***  
10:30 PM   
  
Like any party thrown by any member of the Major Crime bunch, this one was a hit.   
  
One of the unofficial games of the night was 'Spot the Couple'. As in, try and   
catch two people standing under the mistletoe together. Said game, aided by the   
watchful eyes of two Sentinels, produced some hilarious moments. Such as the   
moment when Jim caught Annie and Blair standing under the mistletoe together.   
He'd immediately called the room to quiet and grinned at the two of them.   
  
For a moment, neither one knew what was going on, then Blair looked upward. "Uh...Annie?"   
  
The female Sentinel looked up and said simply, "Damn."   
  
"C'mon you two!" Simon, having had a drop too much of the spiked eggnog, winked   
at them. "You know the rules, no exceptions."   
  
"Oh come on, man!" Blair laughed. "ANNIE?"   
  
Even as the female Sentinel said: "Simon! I can't kiss *Blair!*"   
  
"It'd be like kissing my sister!" Sandburg added. "If I had one that is."   
  
The duo tried several more unsuccessful arguments, but the crowd held firm.   
  
So, finally, they turned to each other. Both looked like they'd rather be shot.   
  
After a couple failed attempts, Annie shrugged. "To hell with it." She grabbed   
Blair and dipped him, planting a thorough kiss on the Guide's lips.   
  
The partygoers all roared with approval as she released him.   
  
The curly-haired man looked dazed for a moment then grinned at Jim. "Ellison, you're a   
lucky man."   
  
Jim smirked and cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. "Go dance with your   
girlfriend, Sandburg."   
  
The younger man laughingly did as ordered while Jim went to collect his smirking   
significant other.   
  
***  
11:00 PM   
  
Since some partygoers had kids, they'd all agreed beforehand that the party   
would end before midnight, so Annie and Jo had consulted with Blair to find the   
perfect way to end the evening. The result had produced something that would   
also be the Major Crime gang's Christmas present to Megan.   
  
"Ok guys, since we agreed you'd all be out of here before midnight, we're going   
to end this with a present for Megan," Blair informed the group as Jim, Annie   
and Jo distributed candles in plastic holders to everyone.   
  
The Australian inspector looked at them in confusion for a moment then, as she   
saw the candles being handed out and lit, her eyes grew suspiciously damp.   
"Blair...is..."   
  
The anthropologist beamed at her before continuing. "There's a tradition in some   
parts of Australia called 'Carols by Candlelight'. Most of the cities and towns   
that practise it, usually hold it outdoors but since its Winter here we thought   
we'd have it here."   
  
Megan accepted a candle from Annie then hugged her friend. "Thank you."   
  
The female Sentinel smiled at her. "Hey, I love Christmas carols too."   
  
After lighting the candle, she disappeared into the crowd which was just   
starting to sing Home for the Holidays.   
  
Soon all the guests were singing and holding candles. Many of them including   
Simon, Rafe, Brown and Taggert, all gave Megan a hug and some of them added a   
kiss. And by the time they'd sung several carols, the Australian woman found her   
homesickness had all but vanished. Sure, she missed her family but she'd also   
discovered that the family she'd found in Cascade wasn't about to let her forget   
about them or how much they cared. Megan was family and if there was one thing   
the Major Crimes gang did when it came to family, it was be there for each   
other. Especially when they were needed most, whether they realized it or not.   
They might not always be the most sensitive of groups, but when all was said and   
done, they cared. And that, in the end, is all that matters anyway.   
  
  
Finis 


	5. The Sacrifices We Make

TITLE: The Sacrifices We Make  
AUTHOR: M. Edison   
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)  
CATEGORY: AU.   
RATING: PG-13  
SPOILERS: Spoilers for TSbyBS  
SUMMARY: Jim and Annie take a risk.  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of The Sentinel belong to me but Annie   
& Jo do  
  
---------------  
The Sacrifices We Make  
By M. Edison  
---------------  
  
  
Annie's POV:   
We're sitting in the truck, neither one of us is saying a word but we're both thinking the same thing.   
  
What the hell did we just do?   
  
The practical side of me is saying you did what is, quite possibly, the dumbest thing you've ever  
done. You walked into Chancellor Edward's office and you admitted to her that Sandburg's  
dissertation was legit.   
  
Oh God, we're insane.   
  
We've just confessed - to a woman neither of us trust - our deepest secret. Gave her the whole   
dog and pony show.   
  
See why my practical side thinks Jim and I have lost our minds?   
  
But that's my practical side. The cop side.   
  
The Sentinel side of me has a *whole* other opinion. She's telling me we did the right thing.  
We're protecting Blair. That's the most important thing. And that's why we did it. For Sandburg.  
  
He gave up everything to protect Jim and me. Least we can do is try and get a little of it back   
for him.   
  
Of course, Jim and I aren't stupid. We did take precautions. Between his family and my   
connections back in Toronto we can make a lot of trouble for Chancellor Edwards. Hell, I can't   
even imagine how John will react if she does pull another one of those stupid 'let's use Blair   
Sandburg's dissertation to further my career' stunts. He's FBI - and pretty well known FBI at   
that. For sure he'd use that Special Agent John Doggett attitude of his, not to mention his   
connections, to help out.   
  
Jim's looking at me now. I hate it when he gets that look on his face. John used to give me the  
same one. You know the look guys get when they think they've somehow managed to drag you kicking  
and screaming into the worst mistake of your life. They're wrong of course. At least with me. If  
I'm going to screw something up I do it myself. Rarely can anyone convince me to go along with   
one of their stupid mistakes. I've got my own to make, thank you very much.   
  
"We did the right thing," I assure him quietly. "We both know he doesn't completely fit into   
our world. There's too much negativity...not enough of the other side of life."   
  
He nods. He's thinking the same thing, I know that, but he just needs to hear it from someone  
else. He needs the reassurance that comes with that. "I know," Jim agrees, his head dipping   
slightly in a nod. "But he doesn't belong here entirely, either."   
  
"No, he doesn't," I reply. "But a part of him does. And we're going to lose that part of him   
unless we can fix this."   
  
We both know that's true. Blair's a strong man. And no, he doesn't fit completely into the  
world of academia anymore, but he doesn't fit completely into the world of police work either.   
Jim and I've both noticed it and Jo...she's the one who convinced us to do this. Not that she   
knows about it.   
  
She made a remark a few months back, when Jim was having more zone outs than usual, that it was  
good to have her absentminded professor back. I must have given her this blank look because she  
gave me a frustrated glare then explained what she'd meant. That Blair acts differently when   
he's trying to solve a puzzle related to the Sentinel stuff. He's more relaxed and gets  
absorbed in his work which means all sorts of silly things start to happen. Like looking all over  
the loft for the glasses he happens to be wearing. Things like that.   
  
That's when I realized we were losing that side of Blair. Not entirely, but we weren't seeing it  
as much as we used to.   
  
You know what I mean, when Blair's so caught up in some problem that he starts doing the silliest   
things. To some people it's comical...to us, it's a balm on our wounds. And make no mistake about  
that one. Wounds are something we have plenty of. Jim and I, well we have a tendency to put on good  
fronts, but the truth is we're damaged goods. Damaged for different reasons but damaged nonetheless.   
  
That's why Blair and Jo are so important to us. We don't depend on them for every hint of   
approval. Far from it. We enjoy our independence. But they do play a major part in our lives.  
They keep our perspective in place. Keep us focused on what's important. Unless, that is,   
something like Sandburg's dissertation happens and our world gets completely blown off track.   
  
We don't talk about that y'know. The mess from the dissertation. Oh, we had a talk about his   
relationship with Blair. How to keep from losing that. But we never talked about how it affected  
us. Never *really* sat down and talked about it.   
  
Hell, Jim barely acknowledges that we even argued about the dissertation debacle, he absolutely  
refuses to acknowledge that it nearly split us up. Put us on opposite sides.   
  
I love him. Don't get me wrong on that one. I love Jim Ellison with everything in me. That has  
not changed one iota except to grow, and it will never fade away. That I am sure of. But we do  
have differing views of the world.   
  
We're damaged but differently; we have very diverse ways of looking at things. Jim pushes   
everyone away and I tend to gather people close. I don't know...maybe it's a part of the   
Sentinel thing. Y'know, the male and female thing? Maybe he's supposed to be the protector  
while I'm supposed to be the nurturer.   
  
Ironic actually...since most people who know me wouldn't exactly describe me as a nurturer.   
According to most, my nickname isn't the Ice Empress because I'm little Miss Mary Sunshine. Most  
people say that sometimes I look like I have ice water in my veins.   
  
Who knows. Maybe I do.   
  
But I do know this. Jim and I may have different views on some things but one thing we agree on  
is how we deal with Blair and Jo. In the initial heat of things, our points of view differ but  
when it all comes down to it...they come first.   
  
We're taking a hell of a risk, we know that, but its one that's worthwhile.   
  
I know some people would say we're overcompensating, trying to make up for the sacrifice. Well,   
in some ways we are but it's not because of some guilt-ridden conscience on our part. Yes, we do  
feel bad about everything that happened with Blair. Yes, I know Jim probably feels some guilt   
for how he reacted during the whole mess, but there's more to this than some Evil Jim/Saint   
Blair thing, like some of the cops down at the station think. This is about a friend taking a   
risk for another friend.   
  
The guys are human, they make mistakes. But, unlike some, these are guys that try their best to  
fix it. Short on words but big on actions. Jim takes in another slow breath. His pulse is still  
racing. "What the hell is taking her so long?" He grumbles, glaring at the cellphone between us  
as if he can make it ring through sheer willpower. I wish he could. Knowing the chancellor, she's  
probably just holding out a little to torture us.   
  
Despite that thought, I smile supportively at him and reach out to take his hand, twining my   
fingers with his. "Well, its not exactly an easy thing to figure out. We did drop the mother of  
all bombshells into her lap and - to make things worse- we threw in a few conditions to boot. It's  
*got* to be killing her not to be able to call the media and tell them."   
  
"We don't know that she won't," Jim says seriously, his eyes locking with mine.   
  
"You're taking one hell of a risk here, Annie."   
  
"No more than you." I sigh and look down at our hands. "We're between a rock and a hard place  
Jim. Damned if we do and damned if we don't." I can't help but grin at him. "If we're going to  
go down, we might as well plant a nice right hook on the Chancellor's jaw before we do."   
  
That brings a smile to his face. He doesn't like her any more than I do. I bite back a sigh. A  
different one this time. I wonder, does Jim have *any* idea what those smiles of his do to me?  
I sincerely hope not. Because the minute he does...I'm a goner.   
  
"Tempting thought." He acknowledges and leans over to kiss me.   
  
Oh man...   
  
If his smiles are dangerous, his kisses should be declared a deadly weapon.   
  
How's a woman supposed to worry about things when all her senses want her to do is give in to  
those *damn* instincts of ours and jump Jim's bones? Yes we are in public, well sort of, but   
with these instincts it's hard to care about that. I swear, sometimes I think my DNA is trying   
to tell me there aren't enough Sentinels in the world and Jim and I needed to get in gear and  
make a bunch of new ones.   
  
As if we don't have enough trouble *now*!!! Imagine what the city would be like with a bunch of   
little Ellisons running around? It'd be a miracle if any buildings were left standing.   
  
Oh don't get me wrong, I *love* kids, and it would be great to have a few of my own. And Jim   
Ellison is definitely excellent Daddy material but...well we're both quite happy with the  
arrangements we have now. It's hard to define, but for us, that's good. We both know where the   
other stands...one of these days we might decide to make things a bit more official but hey, it  
works for Kurt & Goldie right? Y'know, those actors?   
  
He pulls away and bumps noses with me. "I'm glad you're here though..."   
  
"I'm glad I'm here too," I smile, just resting my forehead against his.   
  
"Whatever happens, we'll come out of it all right. We always do."   
  
"Sandburg's doing," Jim counters with a chuckle. "He's learned how to BS his way out of anything."  
  
"And what he can't BS, you can usually intimidate." I grin wryly at him. "All in all, it's a  
good arrangement."   
  
"Good? The Jury's still out on that one. But it does seem to work for us." Jim gives me a mirror   
of my own grin. "But when it doesn't, we've got you and Jo to smack some sense into us."   
  
"Naw...that's Simon's job. We're just the muscle."   
  
Jim laughs at that. "Hired muscle, huh? Not exactly a job I'd peg Jo for."   
  
"Have you seen her at work?" I look at him with a mock-incredulous expression on my face,  
grateful for the chance to distract him. "She's like the Dragon lady or something."   
  
"Or something," He counters with a smirk.   
  
Shaking my head at him, I lean back against the passenger side window. "Fine, next time you get   
the flu, she can come nursemaid you. Then you'll see what I mean." Watching him, I suppress a   
grin at the look of feigned, well, partially feigned, horror he gives me.   
  
At least he's playing along.   
  
Jim's POV:   
  
I know what she's doing. Annie's a good actress sometimes, but she's not so good that she can  
fool me. Not that she's really trying. We both know what's going on here.   
  
We're each trying to keep the other from thinking about the 'what ifs'. What if the Chancellor   
defies our warnings and goes public with our confessions. Sure it'd be her word against ours but  
with Blair's dissertation...she'd have more ammo than we would to back up her story.   
  
We did take a hell of a risk doing this. And I can't believe Annie went along with it. I  
honestly didn't think she would. All right, maybe I had my suspicions. She is that type of   
person. I've seen her do it before. Push limits, ignore orders, take crazy risks, all for   
friends. She's done it a few times for Doggett, too. I've heard Jo's stories.   
  
Sometimes I wonder why the hell she's here with me...We didn't exactly hit it off when she first   
came to town. Yet she stuck it out here in Cascade. Didn't get on the phone and scream at Toronto  
to move her to D.C.   
  
Some people would say she probably did that back at the Brewery but I know better. Annie came  
here to do a job, and hostile working environment or no, she was damn well going to do it - no  
matter how hard a time I gave her. And make no mistake, I did give her a hard time. I don't know  
if my instincts were still raw over the Alex thing or I was just going through the same reactions  
I did with her because Annie was invading my turf. And unlike Alex, she was there legitimately.   
There was no reason for her to go. No real one. She wasn't a logical threat.   
  
I've got to give her credit for that. I gave her the usual Hostile Ellison - but to the tenth   
degree - and she didn't back down. Just dug in her heels and kept on going. Bullheaded lady, my  
Annie.   
  
Course, she wasn't *mine* then. Well, maybe she was. In some ways. I'd never admit that to anyone,  
mind you. But, if Blair's right, it maybe took a few days to stamp "Property of Jim Ellison" on   
her forehead. Not literally, of course, but figuratively.   
  
It sounds totally Alpha of me, or something, but it's true. Annie's not my *property* literally  
but I do have a tendency to get territorial - much to Sandburg's amusement.   
  
Sometimes I think he keeps us around for the sheer laugh factor. We can be pretty hilarious   
sometimes. Hell, most of the time. Especially when we get into one of those head-butting  
sessions of ours.   
  
Like Jo says, 'stick two Alpha types in a room together and leave 'em alone long enough, the   
results are usually either catastrophic or damn funny'. We've had both. Recently, too.   
Catastrophic during the dissertation mess, and funny when we finally put everything behind us.   
Well, most everything anyway.   
  
We're still waiting to put the last bit behind us. Which is why I'm so damn fidgety! If that   
woman doesn't call soon I'm gonna lose it.   
  
"We can hardly expect her to make up her mind in an hour," Annie notes calmly, dropping the   
'joking'.   
  
"Yeah we can," I growl back. "She owes us for the hell we went through."   
  
That tone would make some people more than a little nervous but Annie, as usual, is unperturbed.   
She's survived me in worse moods than this. Hell, she's *put* me in worse moods than this. She   
just looks back at me with those calm eyes of hers and nods. "Yes, she does. But we both know   
she'll never let on about that."   
  
"True," I acknowledge then give her a hopeful look. "Can we beat it out of her?"   
  
"I think Simon might get a wee bit annoyed with us if we do that." Annie grins back. "Though   
he'd probably be behind us, secretly of course."   
  
"Of course," I agree. "And there'd probably be a ton of paperwork..."   
  
"Not to mention IA poking their noses into it."   
  
"And Sandburg and the Half Pint would probably be pissed," I add with a grin.   
  
Laughing, Annie nods at me. "They would be. Can you imagine the lectures?"   
  
I wince visibly and she laughs harder.   
  
"I see you can imagine it..."   
  
"Imagine it?" I give her a mock-glare. "More like remembering a few others they've given us."   
  
Annie mock-shudders. "Oh God no, don't ask me to think about *that*. It's bad enough when Jo   
makes me sit through one."   
  
"Or when they double team us -when they decide they don't want to repeat the same lecture."   
  
We're trying to distract each other again. We can't help ourselves...it's probably a Sentinel  
thing. We need to protect each other as much as we need to protect everyone else. Which is good.  
We're so damned cavalier when it comes to our own safety...we need somebody around to keep us   
from getting ourselves killed.   
  
Blair likes to joke that we either have a serious secret desire to be martyrs to some cause only  
we know about, or we're serious adrenaline junkies. I usually just shrug at him with a grin on   
my face while Annie says, 'A little adrenaline never hurt anybody.'   
  
Naturally Blair always shoots back with, 'you two don't know the meaning of the word *little*.   
You guys go for the big doses.' I don't know if we're really adrenaline junkies or not. I don't  
think we are. We certainly don't go looking for trouble, well most of the time anyway, but it   
does have a bad habit of finding us.   
  
In fact, if our luck holds, we'll probably get hit with more of it soon. It's been too quiet   
lately - our luck has to run out sooner or later. Maybe a nice hostage situation or something.  
This University has been at the center of trouble for us before: shootings, a rogue CIA agent,  
a crazy Sentinel, and a Chancellor with dreams of grandeur.   
  
Speaking of whom, I wish she'd hurry up and call!!! What's there to decide? Yes, I'll see to it   
that Mr. Sandburg receives his doctorate or no, go to hell, the kid's career is toast no matter   
what you do.   
  
I don't know what we'll do if she says no. We didn't tell anyone what we were going to do so it's  
not like he'll be disappointed. In fact, the kid would freak if he knew what we've just done.   
Even if she does go for it, he'll probably freak anyway. It's funny, sometimes, how Blair thinks.  
He won't hesitate to put himself out there for one of his friends, me especially, but when we try  
to do the same thing for him he has a coronary. I thought I was supposed to be the one with the   
overactive protective thing going on.   
  
I remember, after I saved his life during the Lash thing, he called me his Blessed Protector,  
something out of Chinese Mythology. That I'm supposed to have responsibility for him. He's never  
mentioned it since, though he's given me a few other good lectures along those lines a dozen   
different times.   
  
Well, if that's how I managed to become his Blessed Protector than by those standards he's mine   
a dozen times over. He does things to help me and he doesn't even hesitate. Just does what he   
has to do.   
  
I think Annie knows the way I'm thinking now but, thankfully, she doesn't say anything. She knows   
how I think and how I...well, I don't do well talking about emotional stuff. I don't really blame  
my father for that. Not really. But I do know he's one reason. Men aren't supposed to be emotional.  
We don't *share* our feelings. At least, that's what his generation learned, and what they passed   
on to ours.   
  
I understand that. And I'm glad Annie does, too. She only pushes me to talk when she thinks I   
*really* need it. And, funny thing is, she's usually right. Sentinel thing I guess. We understand   
each other.   
  
"Maybe we should take a walk or something," Annie suggests. "Just sitting here is going to drive  
us crazy."   
  
"You mean we're not already?" I ask, with an expression of feigned shock, and she laughs.   
  
"Well, not entirely." She tilts her head, which makes her hair fall around her face, and gives  
me that *look*. Oh come on, you know the one I mean. The little girl 'oh please, please, please!'  
expression. She knows full well I can't resist her when she gives me that look.   
  
There are a few looks she has I can't resist, but if I start thinking about those, the only  
thing I'm going to want to do is take her home, tell Sandburg that Jo's at the Brewery alone,  
and retire to my bed for the evening. Hell, the next day, too, if we could con Simon into letting   
us have the day off.   
  
Smiling a little, I release her hand and put the cellphone into my jacket pocket. "A little   
fresh air'd be good right about now," I agree. "Walk along the harbor front? Or around the   
University?"   
  
"Here's good." Annie smiles, looking out the window. "Love the landscaping they've done here."  
She gives me a devilishly mischievous look. "Maybe we can stop and smell the flowers."   
  
"Sandburg's recruited you to finagle me into tests hasn't he?" I grouse good-naturedly as I   
open the truck door.   
  
"Not lately," She counters with a chuckle. Moving around the truck she falls into step with me  
and I can't help draping an arm around her shoulders.   
  
God, she smells good. And I don't mean her perfume either, though that's nice. She always picks   
scents that aren't too hard on a Sentinel's nose. Doesn't bathe in the stuff either. I swear, I   
dread going down to Forensics these days.   
  
Cassie's got some new perfume that smells like they dropped a skunk into it right before bottling.  
  
No, Annie's different. Her own personal smell. Natural stuff. The scent of her skin intermingled  
with that berry soap she likes. And the faint scent of her shampoo doesn't clash, either.   
  
Sometimes I almost wish I could sit some of the women in the station down and explain how hard   
it is on my sense of smell. They don't realize how many scents they wear. Deodorant, shampoo,   
perfume, lotion, powder, hell even their mouthwash. And when all of that comes together...it   
can get pretty overpowering.   
  
She was right, though, sitting in the truck was starting to get a bit closed in. She must have  
been feeling it, too. Either that or she reads me as well as I read her. Maybe better. Women   
always seem to be good at that kind of thing.   
  
Annie sighs and moves a bit closer. "I wish we could have this forever."  
  
"What?" I prompt, wondering where her mind's gone this time.   
  
"This..." She waves a hand to indicate our surroundings. "It's so quiet here, nice, it's perfect."   
  
Her words get me to look at where we are. *Really* look.   
  
She's right. It is quiet here. Calm. Most of the kids are in class, and the ones that aren't  
are lazing around the campus, books in their laps or before them, and they're not talking. Some  
are even asleep.   
  
The birds even seem to be in more restful a mood than usual. Only the odd chirp punctuates the air.   
  
"You're right," I agree with a smile. "This is perfect."   
  
This is what we needed. A chance to get our minds off our big gamble and on to the world around  
us. We get so caught up with the big picture, sometimes, that we forget the smaller things. With  
these senses of ours, Annie and I have a unique view of the world and we don't take advantage of  
that enough. How many times have we truly done this? Just taken a chance to put these senses of   
ours to work on savouring our surroundings?   
  
Not enough. Not nearly enough.   
  
"We should have a picnic or something," Annie suggests. "Go get Blair and Jo, grab some food  
and take off to one of the parks for the afternoon. Play a little football, hang out. Relax.  
Heaven knows we could use it." We could, too. Between stressing out over whether or not to   
speak to the Chancellor and our respective caseloads...It's gotten pretty chaotic lately.   
  
"We should." I nod. "Whether or not this works, we should go. Just relax and forget about the   
rest of the world for once. Sandburg's always saying we put way too much on ourselves. Maybe we  
should listen to him for a change and just enjoy the time. It's been too long since we got away  
for an afternoon, just the four of us."   
  
"Definitely too long," She agrees with me. "Though we should plan something for the entire gang.  
We haven't had a real Major Crime get together since Christmas."   
  
"A barbecue or something." I grin at the thought and my stomach agrees with me heartily. "We   
did say we'd hold one as soon as the weather got warm enough."   
  
Annie looks around and then smiles at me. "I'd say its definitely warm enough."  
  
"You promise to make the desserts?" I wheedle, my tastebuds reminding me how good Annie is at making  
lemon pie. Hell, she's terrific at most desserts. Her chocolate mousse is enough to put a guy   
into a serious zone out.  
  
She laughs and nods. "Whatever you guys want."   
  
The expression on my face brings another burst of laughter but I don't care. Well, yes I do, but  
it's a good kind of caring. Her laughter always makes me want to laugh, too. Its always been   
that way - well, since we figured out she was another Sentinel. "Thank you." I grin as I speak.  
Blair'll probably have a fit at how much of it I'll put away. He always does when I'm eating   
Annie's cooking. 'Good things in moderation,' he always argues. Me, I always say if you're   
going to go, go happy. And eating dessert never fails to make a man happy.   
  
"We'll have to see when the others are available," Annie muses. "Make sure everybody can get  
there."   
  
"Yeah, but we'll worry about that later." I shift the subject back to our earlier plans. "About   
that picnic..."   
  
She starts to smile back at me but the smile vanishes when a sound intrudes into our c  
onversation.   
  
My cellphone's ringing.   
  
Feeling my own good humor starting to vanish, I pull it out and flick down the speaker. "Ellison..."   
  
Annie doesn't need to overhear to know who it is. The expression on my face tells her that.   
  
The Chancellor.   
  
Sucking in a slow breath, I speak in a measured tone.   
  
"We've been waiting on your call."   
  
Then we have our answer.   
  
Finis 


	6. The Choices We Make

TITLE: The Choices We Make  
AUTHOR: M. Edison   
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)  
CATEGORY: AU.   
RATING: PG-13  
SPOILERS: Spoilers for TSbyBS  
SUMMARY: Jo and Blair react.  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of The Sentinel belong to me but Annie & Jo do  
  
Jo:   
When Blair walked into my home office in the Brewery I knew *something* big had happened - he   
had that stunned look, the one I'd last seen on his face right after the press conference he'd  
given. The one where he renounced his dissertation as a fraud. I don't know why I'm thinking   
about that now. It's in the past. We've all moved on, everything's returned to a semblance of  
normal. Blair's working at Major Crimes as a consultant and he's partnered with Jim again, which  
is the important part. The goal behind Simon offering him the badge. Get Blair and Jim back into  
the field as partners again - give them a chance to rebuild their friendship and the trust that   
they'd had between them.   
  
It's good to see them like that again. Going through the Dissertation fiasco was hell on all of  
us but on them especially. I still don't know how Jim could even think that Blair would sell him  
out. Blair's just not capable of that kind of betrayal.   
  
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not blaming Jim. I never blamed him. Jim's a product of his childhood   
as well as his experiences in life and, given what I've seen and heard of both, they were pretty   
harsh on him. It's a miracle he's come through it as well as he has. But still...Blair's had a   
hard time of it too. They both have, just in different ways.   
  
"The Chancellor..." Blair says finally, locking a numb gaze with mine. "She..."   
  
Oh god...the Chancellor. What's that bitch want now?   
  
Not exactly my usual language I know, but there are very few words in the world that describe  
Chancellor Edwards so accurately as bitch. She is the living embodiment of it in my opinion. Not  
even Cassie comes that close and we all know she's one of my least favourite people in Cascade.   
  
Closing my laptop, I push away from my desk and walk to the door of my office where he stands.  
"She giving you a hard time again?" I ask quietly, reaching up to rest a palm on his cheek.   
  
Blair covers my hand with his and lifts it free of his face so he can pull me against him. "No.  
It's the opposite actually...she, uh...she called me to say Rainier wants me to resubmit my   
dissertation on Sentinels." There's a long pause before he continues. "Jim and Annie...they went  
to see her, told her that everything was true. They even proved it to her."   
  
Oh my god....   
  
I lift shocked eyes to Blair's as I try to hide my fear. What the hell have those two done? Are  
they crazy?! How could they do that? Yes, it's clearly helping Blair but at what cost? Is the   
chaos we faced last time going to come back to overwhelm us again? I don't know if I can face it  
again. I've had to face the press plenty of times, working with Annie and the Fugitive Squad in   
Toronto pretty much made that a weekly event. Every time they took down someone big the local   
and national press would be sure to do more than a little calling. That I can handle; but not   
what happened when Blair's dissertation went public. It was hell, literally.   
  
People sifting through our garbage, reporters hassling me at work, I even had one or two fake  
injuries just to get close to me in the ER - never mind the guy that snuck into the women's locker   
room at the hospital when I was getting a shower. We had no privacy and no lives outside of those   
cameras. I can't do it again. I barely survived last time even after John showed up and played   
bodyguard for me.   
  
Swallowing hard, I chose my words carefully. "How much media coverage are we talking?"   
  
Rubbing my shoulders reassuringly, Blair brings out a shaky smile. "None. According to the   
Chancellor, there are conditions surrounding the whole situation. Conditions Jim and Annie put  
on it. No press is the biggest one. The only coverage that's supposed to be involved is a very  
small press release from the University stating the fact the wrong dissertation was released and  
that I felt I had no choice but hold that press conference because I didn't know how else to fix  
it."   
  
"Well..." I allow, speaking slowly. "In a way that is true, in a manner of speaking."   
  
"In a manner of speaking," Blair agrees with a wry smile.   
  
We fall silent again, both caught up in our worries and hopes. Part of me is thrilled by this  
news. Blair gets a second chance. A chance to prove to his colleagues that he's not crazy, that  
he's not a fraud, that all this time he was right. I'll finally get my professor back.   
  
Don't get me wrong, our relationship is as strong as it always was - that hasn't changed. But   
Blair has. He's different than before. Harder, somehow. More composed and reserved than he used  
to be. Working for the police all the time, it's changing him and I'm still not sure if it's for  
the better...or the worse. All I know is that the man I fell in love with is different than the   
one I love now. The love is still between us. It'll always be there.   
  
That's the one thing that I'll always be sure of.   
  
Another part of me is shaking in fear. That's the part of me that's been Anne Marie Langdon's  
friend since I was in diapers. Blair's dissertation going to the committee means there's another  
chance Annie and Jim are going to be in the line of fire again. That thought has me terrified.   
  
I've been told that, for a doctor, I have a highly overactive imagination and whenever I start   
thinking about Sentinels becoming public knowledge....well let's just say that imagination of   
mine kicks into high gear and what I imagine is *anything* but pretty.   
  
I don't know, maybe I've watched one too many episodes of Nikita or something - because when I  
think about it all I can see is some secret government agency showing up in the middle of the   
night and taking Annie or Jim. If not both. That's a bad enough thought, but my mind doesn't  
stop there. It goes on, painting a scenario that's horrific to say the least. Experiments, forced  
pregnancies, slavery. Those are just the tamer options. My mind shies away from the truly horrific  
ones.   
  
So, with these two sides warring over my emotions, I step back to look into Blair's face. "Are you   
going to do it?"   
  
He sighs and turns away, walking into the main room where Riley and CC are curled up by the fireplace.  
We don't use that much, but Annie likes to light it occasionally. It reminds her of home.   
  
"You don't have to decide right away," I add, seeing how conflicted Blair is by all of this. I  
know Blair well, he can't hide much from me even if he wanted to but, right now, the confusion  
is easy to see. I can see how badly he wants this to work. Oh, he still believes he did the   
right thing in lying about the dissertation, make no mistake there, but he also can't help   
longing for the chance to have it back. And not so much for the doctorate - it's the chance to  
make a difference. That's what it's always been about.   
  
Blair told me that one night, after the whole dissertation fiasco, when we were in bed. We talk  
about a lot of things when we're in bed. Share feelings and secret thoughts. I know a lot of   
people would be surprised to hear me say that. I've heard them talking around the station.   
Wondering about me and Blair - our sex life. Just how active it really is. Not that it's any of   
their business but there's nothing sedate about me and Blair in the bedroom and that's the way   
we plan to keep it, thank you very much.   
  
Oops, rambling off topic aren't I? Sorry.   
  
Back to the dissertation and what it's really about. We've, Blair and I, done a lot of talking  
about it since everything died down. One thing I usually don't have much difficulty with is   
getting Blair to talk about is his feelings and personal thoughts. Oh, there are times when it's  
definitely not *easy*, don't misunderstand me, Blair Sandburg can be as infuriatingly tight-  
lipped as the next male. Drives me crazy sometimes. But it is easier to get him to talk than  
say, Jim or John.   
  
And we talked a *lot* about the dissertation fiasco. We still talk about it sometimes. Just as  
we talk about *why* it had been so important to Blair. He's told me about the professors he had  
when he first started attending university, about the influence they had on him. How they taught  
him to appreciate life in any form, how to honour the beliefs of each person. To savour the truths  
in each but not to become so caught up in cultures that he lost sight of his objectivity or himself.  
They showed him what it meant to be an eternal student. Always learning. And I can see how important  
that is to him.   
  
That's what he really gave up. The chance to pass on that knowledge to the kids coming up after   
him. That's what wants so badly now that it's being dangled before him again.   
  
"No," He agrees with a nod, dropping down on the couch where he's joined by Riley. The Irish   
Setter puts his head on Blair's leg and stares up at him with the devotion only dogs are capable   
of.   
  
Sitting down in the overstuffed chair, I pick CC up and she curls into a ball on my lap -   
purring comfortingly - while I rub behind her ears. "I think you should do it." I blurt  
without warning.   
  
There, it's out.   
  
Surprise appears in his eyes as he lifts his gaze from Riley's to mine. "What?"   
  
"I think you should do it." I repeat in a calmer tone, more at ease with the decision I hadn't   
even known I'd made.   
  
"But look what happened..."   
  
"Last time?" At his nod I continue. "Blair, last time that nimrod of a publisher leaked it to   
the *press*... Come on, in your experience with academia, when was the last time a doctoral   
thesis received that much press coverage?"   
  
"I can't rem..."   
  
"Exactly!" I exclaim, taking CC in hand, I move over to sit next to him on the couch. I know I   
must look like a starry-eyed teenager right now but I don't care. The idea of Blair getting a   
chance to finally get what he deserves, that Doctor before his name, it's got me excited and,   
in my not-so-humble opinion, he should be excited too. This is the chance of a lifetime.   
  
"Besides..." I add in a quieter tone of voice. "Jim and Annie went out on a limb for you. A   
very shaky limb. The least you can do is honour that and *try*. We survived the last time Blair.  
Why can't we survive now?"   
  
He looks over at me, reaching out to cup my cheek in his palm, with those eyes of his all deep  
and thoughtful. Damn he's beautiful. I know, I know, guys aren't supposed to be *beautiful* -   
they're supposed to be handsome, but I can't help it. Blair Sandburg is the most beautiful man  
I have ever met in my life. Inside and out. Inside especially but it's the outside that could   
stop traffic. I've thought that since the day I met him.   
  
I know some people jokingly refer to Blair as a trouble magnet. I won't disagree with that one.  
He's managed to attract more than his fair share of trouble over the last few years - though I   
jokingly blame a lot of it on Jim - and a lot of that has landed him either in hospital or in   
the news. Usually both. So yes, he can be called a trouble magnet, but I say he's a people   
magnet too. He draws them to him. Good and bad. It really doesn't matter what their personality,  
Blair just seems to be a magnet for people. The nexus. He's the one that everyone revolves   
around.   
  
I love watching him at parties. Meetings. Wherever there's a large group of people. Guaranteed  
he's at the centre of it all. Talking about some obscure legend or story. Sometimes it's pure  
BS but people don't care. They love to listen to him. It's what makes him such a good teacher.  
The kids respond to that energy as much as their elder siblings, parents. Whoever he's interacting   
with. It's impossible to ignore it.   
  
That energy was what drew me to him, but it's Blair that keeps me here.   
  
Blair:   
She wants me to do it. I don't know whether to love her for her support or ask her if she's   
crazy. The hell we went through last time...the hell I watched them all go through. I can't take   
the risk of putting them in that situation again.   
  
Believe me, John Doggett wasn't the only one who thought I screwed up when it came to protecting   
Jim and Annie. *I* thought I'd screwed up to. I know Annie almost had kittens when she heard John  
and me arguing - haven't seen her react like that in a long time - but the truth of it was,   
Doggett wasn't saying anything I hadn't already thought of.   
  
*I* should have protected them. *I* should have taken more care to lock up the Dissertation.  
Hell, *I* should have put a damn *password* on the file!   
  
There are a lot of things I should have done differently. There are a lot of things all of us   
should have done differently, I know, but the only ones I'm concerned about with are the ones I  
had control over.   
  
I didn't have control over whether or not Annie and Jim could walk into Chancellor Edwards office   
and out themselves to her. It's been done. I can't stop that now. It's in the past and I can't   
change that. It's done. But I can change what happens first.   
  
I don't want to ask them to risk this again.   
  
So much happened the last time. So much that could have been prevented. Simon and Megan almost  
died. Jim and Annie had reporters hounding them all over town. Jo even had someone sneak into   
the ladies' locker room at the hospital! The man snuck into a room where my *girlfriend* was in  
a shower, completely unprotected.   
  
It never should have happened.   
  
I can't ask them to take that risk again. What happens if someone finds out the Dissertation  
this time around and it leaks into the press? Names or no names, people are going to know who   
I'm talking about.   
  
I know I'm paranoid but when you're dealing with the lives of two of your closest friends there's  
no wiggle room for screw ups. Especially not when those friends happen to be in possession of   
abilities that some governments would give their eyeteeth to have. Jo's not the only one with   
an over-active imagination. I know what can happen. I've dreamt the same nightmares she has.   
Seeing Jim and Annie being dragged off in the middle of the night by men in black vans with   
ski-masks. Special Forces. The images that follow don't get any prettier either. Tests. Assaults.  
Eventual death. I know they'd die before they'll let anyone use their abilities to hurt people or  
let them be used against each other.   
  
I know Jim and Annie worry about us. About what could happen to us. But Jo and I...we worry  
about them. The "what ifs" that haunt Jim Ellison and Annie Langdon are a lot scarier than the  
ones that haunt us. Jo and I'd survive. That's what we do. We land on our feet and keep going.  
Jim and Annie do that too but in a different way. Jo and I have a lot less wounds on our souls  
than they do. We can take more hits and keep going. Not so with Jim and Annie...they're like older  
boxers. They've taken so many hits they can't afford to take many more. Not if they want to stay   
alive.   
  
And not just physically, though that's our biggest concern, but emotionally too. They've seen  
so much in their line of work. Annie's had Jo with her most of that time, sure, but still she   
and Jim both hide so much from us both. They want to keep the worst of it from us when they can.  
No matter how insistent we are that they share it with us.   
  
That's probably why they did this. Went to the Chancellor. It's their way of providing me a way  
to balance life. In their eyes, it's an escape for me. Jo has the hospital and her work there,   
they want me to have the university and my work there.   
  
I can't deny I want it. It's not the degree anymore, the doctorate. Losing that showed me just  
how far down the priority list it had fallen. Over the last few years my priorities have gone   
through a drastic shift. When I started my dissertation Sentinels were almost mythical in my   
mind and my perceptions. Sure, I believed there were real Sentinels out there but I had an   
almost dreamlike view of them. That they were immune to the weaknesses and fallacies of life.   
Like gods on Olympus or something.. Knowing them has proven that illusion to be exactly that:   
an illusion. Sentinels can be all too human.   
  
I've learned now that the reality is far more worthy of my admiration than the illusion. Jim   
and Annie struggle with their weaknesses and their fears but they do what they have to anyway.  
That's a true hero. Jim doesn't know that. I've never been able to tell him that but he's my   
hero. Annie too but Jim's always going to be the one I think of first and I know she understands  
that. She's encouraged it in the past. She's always stressed my first concern in a situation   
like this should be how my choice is going to affect Jim.   
  
She should be happy to hear that her lecturing worked. Right now Jim's all I'm thinking about.  
I keep seeing his face, hearing his voice, everything that he said and did during the whole   
Dissertation Fiasco...I don't want to risk that again. I've never seen him so...lost.   
  
Over our friendship both of us had done some serious growing emotionally, but that one mistake   
drove him back. He lost ground and it was like I was dealing with the Jim that I'd known in   
the beginning. The one who'd been forever distrustful, suspicious of my motives...I had to   
start from scratch.   
  
I don't want to do that again. I don't think I could handle it.   
  
Especially not if something happened because of my desire to get those letters after my name.   
What if someone else gets hurt this time? Megan and Simon almost died last time because Jim was  
off his game, which I was the cause of...man, I don't want to look into his face and see that   
look again. What if this time something does happen to Jo? Or Annie? Or our friends?   
  
I don't want to carry that on my shoulders. Its a mistake I can't afford to make.   
  
God, I wish I knew what to do.   
  
"Blair..." Jo speaks up again, one hand resting on CC while the other reaches out to work its  
way into my hair, rubbing comfortingly. "Its a big risk, I won't deny that, but its obviously a  
risk that Jim and Annie are willing to take...Its scary but what's worse? You try and fail,   
maybe it hits the news again, maybe it doesn't or...you try and succeed, become Dr. Blair   
Sandburg and maybe do some teaching again?"   
  
She smiles and my attention goes to her mouth. I know this is a bad time to be noticing it   
but...I can't help it. Josephine Barnes is a knockout. My knockout. I still can't believe   
sometimes that she's here. With me. She's not perfect but to me she is. When the whole thing  
went down with the Dissertation, Jo was walking a very fine line. She endured a lot. Being torn  
between defending Annie and defending me, putting up with the reporters hounding her every second  
of the day, watching me and agonizing over the fact she couldn't help, just weathering everything;  
and she did it without complaint.   
  
Yeah, she had her say about the whole situation but she never once complained about what she was   
going through. Half of it I didn't find out about until after the whole thing had settled down.   
Plus, if Jo had been able to have her way about it, some things I *never* would have found out.  
She's just the type that protects her family and friends from her own pain. She doesn't want to  
dump it on us to deal with. It's one part pride and two parts concern. She just wants to protect  
us, and herself.   
  
"I would love to teach again." I confess slowly, forcing my attention away from her mouth and up  
to her encouraging eyes. "I really would."   
  
"You miss it." she agrees with a nod. "We all saw that."   
  
"Saw what?"   
  
Jo's hand finds its way into my hair and strokes softly. She knows what that does to me. I   
confess, I love it when a woman plays with my hair. It's a weakness and one Jo likes to exploit  
ruthlessly when she gets the chance. She's been known to use it to relax me too; momentarily I   
pause, wondering which one it is this time. Finally I decide I don't care. I love the feeling   
and she loves doing it so I'm just going to enjoy and that's that.   
  
She hesitates to answer, but in the end does so anyway. "You're changing, Blair; you're not the  
same as you were and I don't mean in a good way."   
  
Somehow I begin migrating and soon find myself stretching out on the couch, my head in her lap;  
her fingers absently combing through my hair as she stares off into space, gathering her thoughts.  
  
"It's the complete focus on police work," she clarifies, looking down at me. "I mean, with the   
way Cascade's been lately...it seems like there's been more bad than good and you're caught up   
in it all. It hasn't been good and you don't have your work at the University to balance it anymore."   
  
I open my mouth to argue but...she's right.   
  
I never thought about it, I guess I didn't want to, but it's been happening. Slowly. Barely   
noticeable. But it's been happening. I need the academic life to keep me on an even keel. I   
don't really belong to one world or the other anymore. I need a bit of both to keep me...well   
to keep me *me*.   
  
"How long?" I prompt softly. "How long have you been seeing it?"   
  
"A while," she replies gently. "Jim and Annie noticed it too. That's why they wanted to do this.  
We don't want to lose you, Blair. You're too important to all of this. To all of us. They refused  
to let you, your life, and your dreams suffer just to ensure theirs remained quiet. It's not fair  
to you."   
  
"And what about taking the risk that they'll end up exposed if I do this?" I frown. "That's not  
fair to them."   
  
"It's their choice, Blair." Jo reminds, smiling. "Its would only be unfair if you'd done it without  
their agreement. They're the ones that put this into motion. You just reap the benefits...they take  
the risk."   
  
"But..."   
  
"Blair," she clamps a hand on my mouth and leans down. "For once...just say thank you. Don't  
over analyse." Her lips brush my forehead in a kiss. "They wanted to do this for you. Let them."  
  
Her gaze was earnest. Her face pleading.   
  
And for a moment I saw more than just Jo in her eyes. For a moment I saw Jim and Annie looking   
out at me too. All of them silently encouraging me to do it. To take this one chance.   
  
How could I say no?   
  
Finis 


End file.
